You are sent to a home for a cardiac arrest. You find a patient in cardiac arrest who has been under hospice care for end-stage AIDS. The palliative care nurse tells you that some family members who were present when the patient went into cardiac arrest became very upset and called 911. The patient has been pulseless and apneic for approximately 15 minutes without resuscitation. A relative interrupts and says she doesn't care what the nurse says; she wants you to help her brother. What should your next action(s) be?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The first step should be to have the nurse provide the DNR and then ask the sister if she was aware of her brother's end-of-life wishes. As a healthcare provider, it is important to honor the patient's wishes and respect their autonomy. The fact that the patient has been under hospice care for end-stage AIDS likely indicates that the patient has already made decisions about their end-of-life care. It is ethically and morally important to honor those decisions.

You Are Sent to a Home for a Cardiac Arrest