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Richard Piatt ReportingFor a lot of elderly and terminally ill people, a "do not resuscitate" order is an important part of their living wills. Now there is a way to insure that request is honored when an ambulance responds to an emergency call.
There are a lot of people who are in pain, whose quality of life is suffering, and who honestly don't want to be revived in an emergency. Now a bracelet can help clear the confusion when a call for help goes out.
If someone calls 9-1-1, it's natural to think the EMT's are going to do everything they can to save a life on that call. That is, unless the patient is wearing a bracelet marked DNR, 'Do Not Resuscitate'.
Don Wood, Utah Emergency Medical Services: "You have to have a terminal condition. And you have to have the concurrence of a physician for the do not resuscitate order."
It's common for a person's do not resuscitate order to go unacknowledged if the vinyl bracelet isn't on the patient or the legal documents are missing. Now, Utah has a new rule, allowing a DNR to be conveniently placed on a more attractive Medic Alert bracelet: Easy to wear and to see.
Larry Gregory, Farmington Fire Chief: "When we get there if we can find the bracelet we can do what the patient wanted done. And then we can explain to the family that this is what the patient wanted for their outcome."
Farmington EMT Steve Spilman remembers a confusing, painful time when one elderly woman's DNR was unclear. Precious moments ticked by until someone stumbled on her legal documents, hidden in a recipe file.
Steve Spilman, Emergency Medical Technician: "We're living into our 80's and 90's, and quality of life. And if you don't feel like you will have the quality of life that you want you should be able to choose what you do with your body."
The message to not save a life can now be communicated on a bracelet. It leaves the ultimate decision to the person who's wearing it, and nobody else.
The bracelets are available now for a yearly fee. Again, a doctor needs to confirm the request for terminally ill patients only.
