DNR Directives

安寧緩和醫療6
Medical Personnel Should Actively Promote the Concept of Terminal DNR
Rong-Chi Chen
Up until recent times, most people died at home, peacefully and in the company of family. Due to the advancement of medical science, however, many people now expire at a hospital. Since the invention of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the 1960s and the subsequent relentless advance of medical technology, our life span may have increased, however, it appears reasonable to suggest that the quality of life at its end may not have improved. Instead, healthcare providers, in particular physicians, now fight for lives against all the odds, promoting the false belief in the omnipotence of medical care and the triumph of man over nature. As a result of this "heroic fight" by physicians, more and more people now die a painful death in the hospital. Physicians often cannot accept the defeat of losing a patient, while relatives are unwilling to let their family member go or believe they are disloyal or unloving if they do not let the physician attempt a last CPR. Cancer has become the leading cause of death in the developed countries, including Taiwan. When cancer enters the terminal stage, and the physician has exhausted all treatment options and knows that the patient cannot be saved, the individual will often be left to his own devices and will have no choice but to bear the torment and suffering of terminal cancer. When the patient is near the end of life, however, the position becomes diametrically opposed and CPR is applied, with the patient, who is already at the psychological and physical limits of suffering, subjected to yet more anguish, and often consigned to a bitter death. Fortunately, in 1967 Dr. Cicely Saunders founded the St. Christopher's Hospice in London, introducing active medical treatment to relieve physical, psychological and spiritual suffering, and offering palliative care during the last phase of patients' lives . This humane form of healthcare has gradually spread around the world, reaching Taiwan in 1990. On June 7, 2000, Taiwan's Hospice Palliative Care Act took effect (amended on November 23, 2002), giving terminal patients in Taiwan the right to either ask for CPR, or to refuse it in the form of the "do not resuscitate" (DNR) order, thus giving legal support to the promotion of hospice care. The Hospice Palliative Care Act stipulates that patients (such as those suffering terminal disease) are given a choice to not endure unnecessary or unwanted suffering where they or their family members have signed a letter of intent to not perform CPR (DNR). Also, if during life-saving procedures a respirator is applied but breathing cannot be restored, the respirator may be removed where there is a DNR directive. Where there is no letter of intent signed by the patient, the law stipulates that the respirator may not be removed, and both patient and family must continue to endure the suffering until the heart ceases to function. Medical personnel should, therefore, strive to educate their patients and the general public. When educating patients with respect to important matters related to hospitalization, for example, every patient should also be advised that "in accordance with the Hospice Palliative Care Act you have the right to sign a letter of intent to not perform CPR (a letter of intent to DNR)". In this way, terminal suffering can be reduced for many of the critically ill. If, as was announced last year by the Department of Health and the Bureau of National Health Insurance, the signing of a DNR letter of intent can be recorded on the IC card (health insurance card) of each individual, the chance for a natural and graceful death is greatly improved. In one's final moments, quality of life may be more important than the mere prolongation of existence. Physicians who respect patients' wishes and provide hospice palliative care, can foster a peaceful and dignified departure from life, although the benefits that this provides may not be easily determined empirically. Filial duty and love should find its expression in being with the family member at the end of his or her life, and in encouraging acceptance of disease, quiet life in his last days and peaceful passing. Where it is unavoidable, the death of a patient is not a medical failure. Not being able to facilitate a peaceful and dignified demise is, however.
(Tzu Chi Med J 2006; 18:155-157)