2020 Volume 8 Pages 31-41
Do not attempt Resuscitation (DNAR) orders are routinely issued at many hospitals throughout Japan. However, there is a possibility that many treatments will be withheld even for conditions other than the usage of not performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation during cardiopulmonary arrest. One cause of the confusion is the lack of orders to stop medical procedures other than cardiopulmonary arrest. Therefore, the Working Group of the Japan Association for Clinical Ethics published “POLST (including DNAR orders) preparation guidelines” in 2015. After 3 years, we surveyed many hospitals nationwide. As a result of the investigation, it was found that 2/3 of the facilities used DNAR based on some devises. Almost half of the facilities have stopped medical practices other than cardiopulmonary arrests. 88% have trouble with DNAR orders. The Japanese version of POLST is known by almost half of the facilities and is highly evaluated positively.
