Cardiopulmonary resuscitation decisions should be extended to nurses

doi:10.1136/bmj.39384.681829.DB

BMJ 2007;335:901 (3 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.39384.681829.DB

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Cardiopulmonary resuscitation decisions should be extended to nurses

Caroline White

London

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Suitably qualified nurses should be allowed to decide whetherto restart patients' hearts and breathing, says new UK guidanceon decisions relating to cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

To date, only consultants and family doctors have been ableto make these decisions.

The guidance, which has been issued jointly by the BMA, theRoyal College of Nursing, and the Resuscitation Council, updatesprevious guidelines issued in 2001.

It aims to clarify lingering uncertainties about when and forwhom the procedure is suitable, and to pinpoint the key legaland ethical issues that should inform every decision.

These include when patients lack the mental capacity to maketheir own decisions or when they have made an advance decisionto refuse the procedure.

Every decision should be taken based on an individual assessmentof each patient's case, and if the procedure is unlikely toresuscitate the patient it should not be attempted, the guidancerecommends.

. . . [Full text of this article]

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