Nursing home resuscitation policies and practices for residents without DNR orders

The purpose of this study was to explore the policies and practices of nursing homes with respect to the resuscitation of residents who do not have a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order. Responses from a survey of 36 facilities revealed that most residents had DNR orders and most facilities were capable of providing basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Less than 30% had performed CPR in the past 6 months, and 22.8% had no written CPR policies. More facilities required CPR in witnessed arrests of non-DNR residents (79.3%) than in unwitnessed arrests (24%). Methods for identifying CPR status need improvement to enable accurate identification and prompt resuscitation of residents who want CPR.