Compliance with do-not-resuscitate orders for hospitalized patients transported to radiology departments.

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the effectiveness of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders during transport of hospitalized patients away from their rooms.

OBJECTIVE

To determine compliance with DNR orders in radiology departments.

DESIGN

Observational study.

SETTING

248 hospital-based radiology departments.

PARTICIPANTS

248 radiology department representatives.

MEASUREMENTS

10-item questionnaire examining the response of radiology personnel to patients with DNR orders who experience cardiopulmonary arrest.

RESULTS

Written DNR protocols and structured procedures for communicating DNR status were used by 18.5% (CI, 13.7% to 23.4%) and 18.1% (CI, 13.3% to 23.0%) of departments, respectively. Medical chart review was the only source of information on DNR status for 41.5% (CI, 35.4% to 47.7%) of departments. It was found that 20.2% of respondents (CI, 15.2% to 25.2%) would resuscitate patients with DNR orders and that 38.3% (CI, 32.3% to 44.4%) had resuscitated patients with DNR orders in the past.

CONCLUSIONS

Most radiology departments do not have formal procedures to prevent patients from undergoing unwanted or inappropriate resuscitative interventions, and DNR orders are frequently overruled.