A Nurse's Living Will/Advanced Directives

[rnmi2004]

Since becoming a nurse (or nursing student), have you had any experiences that led to you changing or adding certain provisions to your living will/advanced directive form (if you have one, that is)? I'm talking about provisions like comfort measures/hydration/pain control, tube feedings, etc.

[nursemike, ASN, RN]

I'm still really not sure about this DNR business. Past a point, absolutely, but we have discharged "comfort care" patients (well, one, for sure) and vents, feed tubes, etc. can be temporary. Our hospital has changed "DNR" to "No CPR", which sort of makes sense. At a meeting to discuss developing new protocols for No CPR, a doctor made a really interesting comment that if more people understood their chances with CPR, there would be a lot more No CPR orders.

I suppose I really ought to make some decisions and get them in writing. At this point, my only advance directive is NPR. If I have to die, I want to do it with my virtue intact.