Why Do Doctors Sign DNR? (Term Paper Sample)

WHY DO DOCTORS SIGN DNR?
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INTRODUCTION
DNR also highly referred to as Do Not Resuscitate order is highly encouraged at hospitals for general patients. Some researchers have reported that patients who sign the DNR do not receive enough or the recommended medical attention since in most cases it is not applied in extreme cases (Phillips et.al, 1996). Others have argued that a signed DNR could cost one’s life due to little side visits by doctors, lack of necessary scans, and lack of proper medication could be evident.
A DNR has been described as a signed document that indicates acceptance of a patient to be left to die in case their heart stops. Therefore, it is a signed medical order by a doctor and thus a decision on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Therefore, the doctors do not struggle with the life letting the patient to have a peaceful death. This has also been applied if the patient’s hearts stops or they stop breathing, the medical practitioners are not to act or use Resuscitating gadgets. Therefore, there has been raised misconception of what DNR means with a lot of doctors thinking it is not meant for recovery but for death (Phillips et.al, 1996). There has been a lot of pressure from government agencies for hospitals to ask for resuscitation which most patients have not been clear on leading to a lot of problems. It has hence been described as allowing for a natural death.
However, doctors have been found to have a high preference for signing the DNR although little has been documented on the issue which will lay bases to the current analysis.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE SCENARIO
At the point of the analysis Dr. Michael E. DeBakey was 97 years. Being alone at his home he feels a sharp pain and since he is a doctor assumes that his heart would stop. He feels that cardiac arrest would be an option of easing the intense pain. Therefore, DNR becomes an option for him since the doctors would not attempt to resuscitation if he developed breathing difficulties. In his mind he thinks he is having a heart attack. Then he realises that his heart is still beating and thus rules out the heart attack mind set. Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, was a specialist and was involved in devising the operation that helps take care of patients whose aorta has been torn or the linings of the arteries leading to the heart have growth weak. He was therefore, experienced in the field.
Therefore, when he felt the pain was not a heart attack he decided that the arteries had grown weak. Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, has performed more than 60,000 coronary operations which makes him an experienced expert in the area. He ought to understand most coronary problems. Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, now becomes a patients who would undergo an operation he engineered. Weeks earlier there was not a sign of cardiac arrest or even aortic fracturing. The occurrence of the aortic arrest was not expected and thus the doctors were only suspecting which was a right operation that saved his life. He was about to die and the surgery saved him. He addressed the press on the issue suggesting that age was not an issue, having signed the DNR form was the issues. Being required to undertake the scans and test, he delayed them since he did not want to be attended to requiring a peaceful death.
UNDERSTANDING OF DNR
The DNR order being a signed doctor form which says that a patient would not want a cardiopulmonary resuscitation has been on the fore line of most debates. It is therefore a decision that one has to make with regard to performance of medical activities which have a high risk that could cause one to stop breathing. In cases where the form is not signed the medical practitioners are required to do everything in their reach to help a persons whose heart has stopped beating or one who is not breathing (Phillips et.al, 1996).
The DNR forms are signed after an understanding with the patient after consultation with the doctor they are asked of their preference on CPR. If the patients agrees, the form is filed correctly addressing all issues of concern, then it is signed and given to the health care facility. An understanding should be developed with respect to the DRN and should be signed in good state of the patient so as to make proper choices with regards to the pre hospital and hospital DNR.
In the case of Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, the pain gets intense and since just like anybody else he would wish to live, he feels that it is wise to looks for the many alternatives that may exists in order to save himself. However, the pain is too much that he now gets comfortable with getting a cardiac arrest which would be an easy option of easing the pain.
The form is signed by the individual and close relatives in the presence of a witness. It allows the doctors to not use extraordinary means to help patients out in case they have a problem breathing thus not putting them under tubes connected to the breathing support machine. In addition, they would not be coded in case their heart stopped. Therefore, it proves that the quality of life of the patient is low as they as said to not being worth of the pain or any measure that would help them.
Doctors have argued that DNR are good and assesse the likelihood of being able to resuscitation a patient. If it is low, then they are comfortable to guide the patient to taking it. For the case of Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, he is convinced that he would have a heart attack in seconds, combined with the pain he feels, he is ready for a DNR.
Dr. Michael E. DeBakey after deciding that it was now an aorta problem and thus the lining had been torn, being part of the doctors that had engineered the operations for such patients knew that the operation was fatal. Being a high risk operation, the likelihood that a patient would stop breathing or their heart would stop was quite high. This therefore necessitated a patient will on what they would want done in such a case which bring the concept of DNR.
Dr. Michael E. DeBakey has performed a lot of coronary operations thus is aware of most signs. Through the operation life he can be able to tell the condition and the level of risk associated. This would translate to the need of the DNR dictated by the likelihood of the attack.
Analysis showed that DeBakey was not at risk of a heart attack. This is an indication that he could only have the pre-hospital DNR which is undertaken outside the hospital. The pre- hospital DNR is different from the hospital DNR since the prior is done from home to the hospital with assessment of the condition. Patients who do not want any intervention in case they were unable to breath. The hospital DNR is undertaken to patients undergoing through operations in the hospital. For patients who have signed the DNR they are not attended to in case they are in an emergency.
From the case, DNR was used to make the patient responsive. It was interpreted to mean family intention which led to intensive care of DeBakey with support machines for some period through his recovery. His successful surgery was an indication that doctors should be left to make decision on the patient. DeBakey did not even remember signing the DNR which is an indication that it should be consented.
WHY PEOPLE GO FOR DNR
A lot of people sign the DNR for different reasons. Research has shown that there is a lot of fear among patients who feel that due to complications, they may be unable to control their care (Phillips et.al, 1996). In addition, there has been a lot of fears among patients who would not want to be under machines and tubes. Also patient’s feel of living with incapacitation has led to most of them opting for the DNR. In addition, other think that after cardiopulmonary resuscitation they would have to be under life support thus opting for death.
It has widely been accepted by the aged as well as people with terminal illnesses. The form has hence been used as a way of making the seniors wish achieved in case they did not want a CPR done on them. Consequently their wishes are honoured especially during emergency cases.
However, there are a lot of people ready for DNR but not because it is necessary but because of the wrong mind set. For instance Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, at first feels that he would have a cardiac arrest so ready for a DNR. If he had it, the doctors would let him die. All this would result from the feel that he would have a heart attack. This is as a result of wrong body sign interpretation. Dr. Michael E. DeBakey make a decision that is made by many who feel they have a short life and they could stop breathing any time or their heart would stop any time. With little information on what is exactly happening to the body they are hopeful that their pain would stop if they were to be given a peaceful death. However, the contrary is the same since the doctor may interpret the wrong sign. For instance Dr. Michael E. DeBakey thinks of a heart attack when it really is not, thus from wrong information is ready for the DNR which would mean to the medical practitioners that his will is to have a peaceful death and so no tubes or any attempt to help him breath although his case could be managed since in reality he was not having a heart attack.
Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, being part of the doctor team that came up with an operation that would help patients whose aorta had grown weak, being in the practicing field for many years, he is aware that the operation is a fatal one involving a high risk. Therefore, patients of this nature sign the DNR to portray their wish since the likelihood of breath failure or heart stoppage is very high. In addition, having performed a lot of ...