A nurse who is working with clients who have DNR (do not resuscitate)

A nurse who is working with clients who have DNR (do not resuscitate) orders knows that these orders:

1. Are legally required for terminally ill clients
2. May be written by the physician without client consent if resuscitation is futile
3. Are maintained throughout the client’s stay in either an acute care or a long-term care facility
4. Follow nationally consistent standards for implementation of client interventions

ANSWER

ANS: 2
If the client is unable, and there is no surrogate available to give consent, the DNR order can be written but only if the physician is reasonably medically certain that the resuscitation would be futile. A DNR order is not legally required for terminally ill patients.. DNR orders are not neces-sarily maintained throughout the client’s stay because a client’s condition may warrant a change in DNR status. The attending physician must review the DNR orders every 3 days for hospital-ized clients or every 60 days for clients in residential health facilities. There is no nationally con-sistent standard for DNR implementation. States have their own statutes regarding DNR orders.