> from: Goat <[log in to unmask]
> subject: Re: DO NOT RESUSCITATE!
>
> Quite right Adrian, but the hoops patients have to jump through to make
> an advanced directive binding, particularly in the field of emergency
> medicine, make them quite rare.
It's not that difficult or that rare Goat; there are organisations that facilitate the process. See
http://www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/codeofpractice?OpenDocument&Highlight=2,advance,directives
It's just that we rarely see such patients in A&E, as they and their families have a sensible approach to death, i.e. they don't call 999 at the first trace of something bad happening (like everyone else seems to these days) and death usually occurs peacefully at home. Patients with advance directives do exist, and we occasionally come across them in A&E, but not very often for obvious reasons. However if you come across a properly formulated advance directive, you should really respect it.
Adrian
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