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Quick Tip for Families in Intensive Care: Can ICU Issue a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) Without Consent in Wisconsin US? The Shocking Truth You Must Know!

“Can ICU issue a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) without consent in Wisconsin? The shocking truth you must know!”

My name is Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com, where we help families of critically ill patients in intensive care to make informed decisions, have peace of mind, control, power, and influence, even if you’re not a doctor or a nurse in intensive care so that your loved one always gets best care and treatment.

Today’s topic is, “Can ICU issue a DNR without consent in Wisconsin in the United States? The shocking truth you must know!” So, this blog post today actually leaned on previous blog posts. The last two previous blog posts that I actually made about the court case in Wisconsin of Grace Schara. Her dad, Scott Schara took the hospital in Wisconsin to court. Scott and his family claimed that Grace Schara was euthanized in ICU during COVID in October 2021 and, his case has been publicized or has been in the public sphere.

From what I can see as, obviously, having worked in intensive care all around the world for the last 25 years, I can see he’s got a point. But, I also believe one of his biggest downfalls was that he didn’t have access to the medical records and that he was really blindsided by the hospital, and that he didn’t get any advice as well. Because we have reversed many, many DNRs for our clients in intensive care. We have saved many lives, and you can verify that on our testimonial section  at intensivecarehotline.com. You can also verify it on our intensivecarehotline.com podcast section where we’ve done client interviews.

So, my team’s research have shown that you can’t just issue a DNR, it’s completely illegal. But let’s just look at today’s question in more detail. I just wanted to give you context that obviously this is based on Grace Schara’s court case where the court actually decided in the hospital’s favor, which I find astounding and I’m completely gobsmacked by.

But let’s get to today’s question in more detail. It’s a question we get all the time around the world really and therefore, if you’re watching this, you’re probably wondering the same thing. Can a do not resuscitate (DNR) order be placed on your loved one in ICU in Wisconsin in particular, because that’s where Grace Schara was in hospital, without your or your loved one’s consent? The answer is no, it is not legal.

That is once again, we’ve done some research, otherwise, I wouldn’t be publishing this blog post. It’s not only that we’ve done research, but it’s also, we are doing this on a day by day basis, and we have been doing it for a long time. Since 2013, we’ve been consulting and advocating for families in intensive care all around the world here at intensivecarehotline.com.

In Wisconsin, a DNR must be issued with informed consent from either the patient, if they’re able to make that decision, or a legally appointed healthcare agent under a power of attorney for healthcare, or a legal guardian appointed by the court. ICU teams in Wisconsin in the United States cannot just write the DNR order without consent and say, “We’re doing what’s in the ‘best interest’ of the patient.” That is not how the law works.

So, let me break this down for you even further. What is a DNR? A DNR or a do not resuscitate order tells the medical team not to perform CPR, also known as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if your loved one’s heart stops or they stop breathing. If that order is in place without consent, it could literally be the difference between life and death for your loved one.

Who has the right to consent to a DNR in Wisconsin? In Wisconsin, only the following can legally consent to a DNR: the patient themselves, if they’re mentally competent, a legally appointed healthcare power of attorney, a court appointed legal guardian. That’s it, not the ICU team, not the hospital ethics committee, not some random doctor who thinks your loved one ‘won’t have any quality of life.’ Your wishes and your family’s wishes matter if you are in a situation where you’re incompetent to make that decision and the law is clear on this.

Can the ICU override your wishes? Now, this is where it gets murky. We’ve seen many cases where ICU teams try to override the family or the patient’s wishes by sneaking in a DNR order without proper consent. They might say, “It’s futile care or treatment.” Futility means of no perceived benefit and again, it’s perception, no more than that. Other things ICU teams might say is, “There’s no point doing CPR.” Other things that ICU teams might say is, “We’re just being humane.”

But if they don’t have the proper legal authority and haven’t followed the required process, which includes discussing it with the patient or their legal representative and obtaining signed consent, it’s illegal. We’ve seen even cases in Wisconsin where families discovered a DNR order placed on their loved ones chart after the fact, and by then it was too late. This has led to lawsuits and complaints to licensing board.

But it’s not only in Wisconsin, we’re doing this type of work all around the world. We’ve seen it in other countries as well, where DNR orders are placed on patient files and we find out about it and then they’re being removed because the patient or the family didn’t know about it. Like I said, we have huge success rates here because we’re industry insiders. We understand the industry inside out.

So, what can you do if you suspect the DNR was placed without consent? If you suspect or know that the DNR was placed without you or your loved one’s permission, here’s what to do. Number 1, ask for a copy of the DNR order and who signed it. Number 2, demand to see the consent documentation. Number 3, speak to the hospital’s patient advocate and legal risk management department. Get legal advice immediately, contact us at intensivecarehotline.com immediately, because this is exactly what we help families in intensive care with every day.

So the bottom line is, if your one is in ICU in Wisconsin, but also in other jurisdictions and countries, the ICU cannot place a DNR without your or your loved one’s informed and legal consent, don’t let them tell you this is hospital policy, or we’re doing what’s right. If they’re ignoring your rights, that’s not their call to make.

You must be involved in decisions about life or death, and you can fight back if the ICU is overstepping. We have families in your situation every day to challenge unethical DNR orders. Stop the ICU from withdrawing treatment without permission and keep their loved ones alive until they have a real chance to recover.

I have worked in critical care nursing for 25 years in three different countries where I worked as a nurse manager for over 5 years in intensive care. I’ve been consulting and advocating for families in intensive care since 2013 here at intensivecarehotline.com. I can very confidently say that we have saved many lives with our consulting and advocacy because of our insights. You can verify that on our testimonial section at intensivecarehotline.com. You can verify it on our intensivecarehotline.com podcast section where we have done client interviews because our advice is absolutely life changing.

The biggest challenge for families in intensive care is simply that they don’t know what they don’t know. They don’t know what to look for. They don’t know what questions to ask. They don’t know their rights, and they don’t know how to manage doctors and nurses in intensive care.

That’s why we help you to improve your life instantly, making sure you make informed decisions, have peace of mind, control, power, and influence, making sure your loved one gets best care and treatment always. That’s why you can join a growing number of members and clients that we have helped over the years, saving their loved ones’ lives.

That’s why I do one on one consulting and advocacy over the phone, Zoom, WhatsApp, whichever medium works best for you. I talk to you and your families directly. I handhold you through this once in a lifetime situation that you simply cannot afford to get wrong. When I talk to families directly, I also talk to doctors and nurses directly, asking all the questions that you haven’t even considered asking but must be asked when you have a loved one critically ill in intensive care.

I also represent you in family meetings with intensive care teams.

We also do medical record reviews in real time so that you can get a second opinion in real time. We also do medical record reviews after intensive care if in case you have unanswered questions, if you need closure, or if you are suspecting medical negligence.

We also have a membership for families of critically ill patients in intensive care, and you can become a member if you go to intensivecarehotline.com, if you intensivecarehotline.com, if you click on the membership link, or if you go to intensivecaresupport.org directly. In the membership, you have access to me and my team, 24 hours a day, in the membership area and via email, and we answer all questions intensive care related. In the membership, you also have exclusive access to 21 eBooks and 21 videos that I have personally written and recorded. All of that will help you to improve your life instantly, make informed decisions, have peace of mind, control, power and influence, making sure your loved one gets best care and treatment always.

All of that you get at intensivecarehotline.com. Call us on one of the numbers on the top of our website or simply send us an email to [email protected] with your questions.

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Thank you so much for watching.

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

Take care for now.

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