Ambulance crews have recently found themselves up against the serious issue of how to respond to cases in which family members of patients suffering cardiac arrest refuse CPR, claiming that the patients do not wish to receive such treatment.
On Wednesday, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency approved a report by an expert panel that concluded it was difficult to come up with a policy, despite fire departments in various areas having asked for guidelines.
Such cases are often seen when elderly or terminally ill patients who have asked to die at home, or have left a DNR (do-not-resuscitate) order, suffer cardiac arrest and someone unaware of the patient's wishes calls an ambulance. The ambulance crew then encounter a refusal to receive treatment after they have arrived.