Do not resuscitate policies of New Jersey hospitals

The do not resuscitate (DNR) policies of 100 New Jersey hospitals were investigated using a questionnaire to evaluate hospital characteristics, DNR documentation, decisionmaking, consent, satisfaction with present policies, and revision plans. Among responding hospitals, 78% indicated they had a policy, with--61% being established between 1984 and 1987. Twenty-two percent of hospitals with a DNR policy accepted oral orders, 39% accepted telephone orders, and 36% required written consent from a competent patient. Forty-nine percent of hospitals with a policy accepted qualified orders such as, "do not intubate." Sixty-two percent of responding hospitals were satisfied with their current policy. For 22 hospitals without a policy, 80% indicated dissatisfaction with their current practice. When hospitals with a DNR policy were compared to those without a policy, government supported hospitals were less likely to have a DNR policy than non-governmental hospitals (P = .04). Hospitals without a policy were more likely to perform "slow codes" than those with a policy (P = .007). A two-year follow-up survey found seven hospitals without DNR policies.