DNR orders
Posted over 9 years ago by Elizabeth Esstman
Despite being an "independent practice" state, Connecticut legislation prohibits APRNs from writing DNR orders. This is an access to care and quality of care issue, especially for those treated in nursing facilities with daily APRN presence, but with less visible physician presence. We continue to attempt to change this legislation, but we need your help! Please share experiences or testimonials about care that would have been improved if APRNs could write DNR orders. Help us improve care for older adults.
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We work with families and patients over weeks (sometimes months), to improve understanding of what will provide a peaceful death. Honoring patients wishes at end of life brings the highest quality of care to their final days. When a patient wishes to move from a "Full Code" to allow a more natural death, APRNs should be able honor their wishes and write DNR/DNI. Any delay in waiting for physicians to co-sign a change in advance directives could result in our patients getting unnecessary medical interventions that are not their wishes at end of life. After all, we can pronounce, fill out a death certificate but cannot write initial Advance Directives? This really needs to be changed.
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