Table 3 Perceptions and attitudes of physicians and nurses about involving patients and/or relatives in a DNAR decision
Questions | All (n = 522) | Physicians (n = 210) | Nurses (n = 312) | p value a |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Should the patient’s opinion about DNAR always be requested on condition that the patient is capable of making a decision? | 0.064 | |||
Yes | 417 (80.8) | 157 (75.9) | 260 (84.1) | |
No | 44 (8.5) | 22 (10.6) | 22 (7.1) | |
Uncertain | 55 (10.6) | 28 (13.5) | 27 (8.7) | |
Consider a situation in which the patient has expressed a strong desire to receive CPR in the event of sudden cardiac arrest. Should this desire always be respected? | < 0.001 | |||
Yes | 161 (31.3) | 34 (16.4) | 127 (41.2) | |
No | 255 (49.5) | 139 (67.2) | 116 (37.7) | |
Uncertain | 99 (19.2) | 34 (16.4) | 65 (21.1) | |
Should the opinions of relatives about DNAR always be requested? | 0.588 | |||
Yes | 319 (61.7) | 124 (59.3) | 195 (63.3) | |
No | 97 (18.8) | 40 (19.1) | 57 (18.5) | |
Uncertain | 101 (19.5) | 45 (21.5) | 56 (18.2) | |
Should relatives be allowed to make DNAR decisions? | < 0.001 | |||
Yes | 74 (14.7) | 17 (8.4) | 57 (19.0) | |
No | 350 (69.6) | 169 (83.3) | 181 (60.3) | |
Uncertain | 79 (15.7) | 17 (8.4) | 62 (20.7) | |
Do you think there are patients who want to be informed that a DNAR decision has been made by the physician in charge but who do not receive such information? | 0.617 | |||
Yes | 422 (81.6) | 173 (82.4) | 249 (81.1) | |
No | 14 (2.7) | 7 (3.3) | 7 (2.3) | |
Uncertain | 81 (15.7) | 30 (14.3) | 51 (16.6) | |
Do you think there are patients who are informed that a DNAR decision has been made by the physician in charge but who do not want such information? | 0.002 | |||
Yes | 333 (65.0) | 152 (74.2) | 181 (59.0) | |
No | 46 (9.0) | 15 (7.3) | 31 (10.1) | |
Uncertain | 133 (26.0) | 38 (18.5) | 95 (30.9) |