Do not resuscitate policies in midwestern hospitals: a five-state survey

Hospitals in five midwestern states were surveyed regarding the presence or current development of formal Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) policies in their institutions. Responses were received from 76 percent of 986 institutions; 35.5 percent of respondents reported having DNR policies and another 24.4 percent of the institutions reported being in the process of developing such policies. 38.1 percent of respondents had ethics committees. Two variables were associated with the presence or development of DNR policies in respondent institutions: institutional size and the existence of an ethics committee. The results are discussed in terms of the need for further research in this area and in terms of recommendations and findings of the President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research.