SHN169 – DNACPR & Euthanasia
DNACPR (and Euthanasia)
DNACPR
What is CPR?
o Cardiopulmonary Respiration
What is DNACPR?
o Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Respiration
Have you been involved in any discussions or actions involved with DNACPR?
o Note that the correct terminology is DNACPR and not DNAR this is out of
date terminology and should now longer be used in practice
https://collaborative.nhs.wales/implementation-groups/end-of-life-care/dnacpr/
o First published in 2015, updated in 2017 with a further update in 2020
now due to be reviewed every two years
o Designed to ensure that the patient wishes are respected and any actions
taken/not taken are in their best interest
o Important for the decision reached to be clearly documented and also clearly
apparent in their health care records so that regardless of the medical setting
staff can easily see it
o Inappropriate intervention when someone is heading towards the natural
end of their lives:
1
, SHN169 – DNACPR & Euthanasia
Heart is one of the last organs to cease to function during a natural
death
Restarting a heart is a violent and intrusive process which is ultimately
denying the person a dignified and peaceful death
Current most up to date version
o This is the document that is currently used - To be filled in/signed by either
the GP or the senior leading medical clinician (sometimes it may be a senior
grade nurse)
You might come across slightly different ones in patient files
depending on when the form was first completed (they are filled in in
2
DNACPR (and Euthanasia)
DNACPR
What is CPR?
o Cardiopulmonary Respiration
What is DNACPR?
o Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Respiration
Have you been involved in any discussions or actions involved with DNACPR?
o Note that the correct terminology is DNACPR and not DNAR this is out of
date terminology and should now longer be used in practice
https://collaborative.nhs.wales/implementation-groups/end-of-life-care/dnacpr/
o First published in 2015, updated in 2017 with a further update in 2020
now due to be reviewed every two years
o Designed to ensure that the patient wishes are respected and any actions
taken/not taken are in their best interest
o Important for the decision reached to be clearly documented and also clearly
apparent in their health care records so that regardless of the medical setting
staff can easily see it
o Inappropriate intervention when someone is heading towards the natural
end of their lives:
1
, SHN169 – DNACPR & Euthanasia
Heart is one of the last organs to cease to function during a natural
death
Restarting a heart is a violent and intrusive process which is ultimately
denying the person a dignified and peaceful death
Current most up to date version
o This is the document that is currently used - To be filled in/signed by either
the GP or the senior leading medical clinician (sometimes it may be a senior
grade nurse)
You might come across slightly different ones in patient files
depending on when the form was first completed (they are filled in in
2
