Focus on critical care / American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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The issue of do not resuscitate (DNR) decisions has been the subject of much discussion in the medical literature. To try to understand the factors that may be determinants of the timing of DNR decisions, we reviewed the charts of 70 consecutive burned patients who died between 1986 and 1988. ⋯ Physicians, nurses, social workers, the hospital attorney, the district attorney, and the coroner of our county were interviewed. The uncertainty of legal guidelines and practical considerations of family expectations preclude a uniform approach to this problem.