In palliative care for a patient with Do Not Resuscitate status, which statement reflects appropriate care?

In palliative care for a patient with Do Not Resuscitate status, which statement reflects appropriate care?

• A. Do not perform resuscitation but provide comfort measures
• B. Provide aggressive resuscitation per hospital policy
• C. Respect the DNR and provide comfort-focused care
• D. Discontinue all medications

Answer: (C)

The key idea here is honoring the patient’s Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order while continuing care that relieves suffering. A DNR means CPR should not be attempted if the patient’s heart stops or they stop breathing, but it does not mean stopping all treatment. The best statement explicitly says to respect the DNR and provide comfort-focused care. This aligns with respecting patient autonomy and focusing on symptom relief, dignity, and quality of life, while withholding resuscitation. Resuscitation in line with a DNR would be inappropriate, so endorsing aggressive resuscitation contradicts the patient’s wishes. Discontinuing all medications isn’t indicated either, since many drugs are used for comfort (analgesics, antiemetics, anxiolytics) or for treating reversible conditions. Providing only resuscitation actions without acknowledging the DNR would miss the patient’s stated preferences.

The key idea here is honoring the patient’s Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order while continuing care that relieves suffering. A DNR means CPR should not be attempted if the patient’s heart stops or they stop breathing, but it does not mean stopping all treatment. The best statement explicitly says to respect the DNR and provide comfort-focused care. This aligns with respecting patient autonomy and focusing on symptom relief, dignity, and quality of life, while withholding resuscitation.

Resuscitation in line with a DNR would be inappropriate, so endorsing aggressive resuscitation contradicts the patient’s wishes. Discontinuing all medications isn’t indicated either, since many drugs are used for comfort (analgesics, antiemetics, anxiolytics) or for treating reversible conditions. Providing only resuscitation actions without acknowledging the DNR would miss the patient’s stated preferences.