Death studies
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This study examines the process and consequences of an increasingly important element of the dying experience in American hospitals: the writing of a Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) order. The focus of the study is on the decision-making process and timing of the DNR decision, the impact of the DNR order on the dying experience, and the consequences of the DNR order for length of hospital stay and accrued medical charges. Patients with a DNR order are compared to those who were unsuccessfully coded. ⋯ Those with a DNR were more likely to remain in a single unit in the hospital and less likely to die in an intensive care unit or while connected to a ventilator. Consistent with other studies, however, average length of hospital stay and average medical charges were actually higher for the DNR patients. Implications of these differences between DNR and unsuccessfully-coded patients are discussed.