Do-not-resuscitate order

What it means

A DNR is an order written by a clinician, not a wish written by a patient. That is what makes it act on the people in the room during an emergency.

It addresses one thing: cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It is not an instruction to withhold other treatment, and it is not the same as hospice.

A DNR that applies in the hospital may not travel home. Many states have a separate out-of-hospital form, often on distinctive paper or as a bracelet, so that emergency crews can act on it.

Why it matters

Emergency responders act on what they can see in seconds. A living will in a drawer will not stop resuscitation; an out-of-hospital order on the fridge might.

It is also frequently misunderstood as meaning less care. It means one specific intervention will not be attempted.

When you are likely to meet it

• When a parent is admitted to hospital or enters hospice.
• When a clinician asks about code status.
• When arranging care at home for somebody who is dying.

How this varies by state

Whether a state has an out-of-hospital form, what it looks like, and whether emergency crews may honor a document rather than a bracelet, are set by state law and by emergency services protocol.

Related terms

• Advance directiveA document recording your medical wishes, and naming who should speak for you if you cannot.
• Health care proxyA document naming somebody to make medical decisions for you if you cannot make them yourself.
• HospiceCare that focuses on comfort rather than cure, for someone expected to live six months or less.
• Living willA written statement of what medical treatment you would and would not want if you could not say so at the time.
• Palliative careCare aimed at relieving symptoms and stress, available at any stage of a serious illness.
• POLSTA medical order form covering more than resuscitation, signed by a clinician, meant to travel with the patient between home, hospital and care facility.

Sahvelo guidance that uses this

• Advance directives