Do Not Resuscitate

What you'll learn

Course overview

Emergency medical providers often care for patients in cardiac arrest, and numerous ethical dilemmas may be encountered, including conflicting family opinions, unreasonable requests by bystanders, lack of availability of advance directives, and others.1,2 Protocols regarding the withholding of resuscitative efforts vary widely among states and EMS jurisdictions within states. Such protocols should address many issues including justification, specificity, patient participation, inclusion of minors, futility, portability, utilization of healthcare resources, and responsibility for pronouncing death.