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Hi, it’s Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com with another quick tip for families in intensive care.

So, today’s tip is about a reader of our website writing to us and saying that, “The ICU team is pushing DNR (do not resuscitate) for their father in ICU instead of having a treatment plan, what should I do?” Well, what a great question to have, and I know this is a question and a frustration that many, many families in intensive care have.

And the first question that you should be asking yourself is why are they pushing DNR instead of having a proper treatment plan? Well, it’s often lack of beds, lack of staff, being under-resourced, and also perception about quality of life. They think they have the perception that your father won’t have any quality of life in the future, and that’s a perception. And if you feel like your father will have quality of life in the future, then you should be advocating for him.

But even so, you don’t have any obligation whatsoever as the next of kin or power of attorney, the medical power of attorney, to give into a DNR. It’s your decision and your decision only, but even better, it helps if your father had an advanced care directive because an advanced care directive is a legal document. So, it helps if for anyone watching this video that having an advanced care directive is simply, if you document there that you want everything done and no DNR, then it’s documented and it’s a legal document.

But even so, even if it’s not documented, you should still advocate for your dad and say, “Look, my dad wants everything to be done”, and then the ICU team has to follow suit there. I mean, everything else could be perceived as euthanasia and hastening death or even worse.

So, that is my quick tip for today.

If you have a loved one in intensive care, go to intensivecarehotline.com. Call us on one of the numbers on the top of our website or simply send us an email to [email protected].

Also, have a look at our membership for families in intensive care at intensivecaresupport.org. There, you have access to me and my team, 24 hours a day, in a membership area and via email. And we answer all questions intensive care related there, 24 hours a day.

Now, if you need a medical record review, please contact us as well. We review medical records for your loved one in ICU in real time. In this day and age, ICU should just give you access to medical records via website with a username and a password, and we can help you interpret real clinical data in real time, and we can explain to you what’s happening. We can give you treatment options from our experience, so that you don’t get into the frustration we discussed in the first place. We can also review medical records after an intensive care stay, especially if you suspect medical negligence.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel for regular updates for families in intensive care, and share the video with your friends and families, click the like button, click the notification bell, and comment below what you want to see next and what questions and insights you have from this video.

Thanks for watching.

This is Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com and I’ll talk to you in a few days.