Coronavirus and the misuse of ‘do not resuscitate’ orders

There’s nothing like a pandemic to remind you of your mortality. I rather suspect that many of us are having more conversations about death than before. Perhaps we’re finally talking to family and friends about what dying well means to us.

This is no bad thing. Knowing about a loved one’s preferences could well spare them from overzealous or largely ineffective interventions at the end of life, which might otherwise rob them of a peaceful death. Some might even consider making a legally-binding advance decision to refuse specific treatments, to be used only when they lose decision-making capacity.

The difficulty is in broaching the subject. For some, the words ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ (DNR) are practically the equivalent of a death sentence. Patients frequently overestimate the success rate of CPR and underestimate its burdens. The glamourised heroics of Holby City are a far cry from the aggressive and often grisly realities of failure, broken ribs and brain damage.