The concept of do not resuscitate for the families of the patients at king abdul-aziz university hospital

Abstract

Aim: Do not resuscitate (DNR) is an order in medical practice for the patients who are suffering from a grave medical condition, and their life is in danger to end. DNR decision-making varies from one hospital to another. This study is aimed to assess the knowledge of the patients' relatives about DNR concept and their opinion about the DNR decision-making. Materials and Methods: This was a nonintervention cross-sectional study conducted, during 2016, among 420 patients' relatives in the Emergency Department at King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital in KSA. Data were collected by interviewing the participants. Data were further analyzed using SPSS software. The Chi-square test was used to determine the associations. Results: Variation in responses related to the DNR concept was observed. Around 44% of participants thought that DNR involved maximum intervention in the hospital, including intensive care. Further, the majority (55.2%) of the participants were assured about the quality of the services the patient would receive. Furthermore, 51% of the participants believed that ultimately, it should always be the doctor who decides on a DNR decision. Meanwhile, 36.4% of the relatives opined that the family members should be involved in the discussion regarding the DNR order. Conclusion: We observed a gap in the understanding of the concept and decision-making of DNR-order among the participants. Health-care providers should provide a greater explanation about DNR orders to the families of the patients to avoid any misunderstandings, and also support them psychologically to avoid any stress they might encounter in such situations.