Ethical Dilemma Concerning Do Not Resuscitate Orders

Abstract: 7 pages in length. A terminally ill patient scheduled to have palliative surgery is refused by her doctor unless she reverses the Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order she put in place to address her incurable disease. The reason why her physician required his patient to change her DNR to full code while in the operating room is unclear; perhaps he did not want to have the responsibility of her potential death looming over his head without a way in which to medically address the situation. Maybe he was not fully aware of the extent to which her terminal illness necessitated such a drastic order as the DNR. Regardless of his inability or downright refusal to accept the patient's wishes, he was committing a rather serious breach of ethics where his medical practitioner's behavior is concerned. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

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Catagory: Disease, Treatment, & Epidemiology

Subcatagory: Medicine, Medical Issues, & Pharmacy

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