Law &. Ethics for Medical Careers 5th Edition by Karen Judson,Carlene Harrison

Exercise 20

Don Lundy, EMS Director for Charleston County, South Carolina, says that DNR requests continue to be an ethical issue for EMTs. "The legal question has been answered," Lundy says, "but is it right or wrong [for EMTs] to support a DNR?" Most EMTs, Lundy explains, "would rather do too much than not enough."
Assume you are an emergency medical technician (EMT) responding to a 911 call at a grocery store. An elderly shopper has collapsed, and she is unconscious on the floor when you arrive. Her vital signs are weak. The woman is placed in the ambulance, where she arrests. You notice that the woman is wearing a bracelet that says "DNR," and a quick check of her purse reveals a signed and witnessed DNR order. What do you do?
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