The do not resuscitate order (DNR) from the perspective of oncology nurses: A study in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Issues related to life and death are largely influenced by the culture and religious beliefs of a society. This research aimed to survey a sample of oncology nurses in Saudi Arabia about their attitude towards the do not resuscitate order (DNR). Method:A cross-sectional design was employed. A survey was sent to 190 nurses in the Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) in King Fahad Medical City (KFMC). A total of 157 nurses with a diploma or higher degree agreed to participate in the study.Results: Many nurses showed a neutral attitude regarding DNR to cancer patients and/or their families 2.4 ± 0.4. Moreover, the results of the multiple logistic regression tests revealed that all the listed factors are not associated with the attitude towards DNR orders (P > .05). Conclusion:It is generally believed that nurses the faith and background of nurses from Muslim countries has a profound influence on their attitude towards DNR.However, this was not the picture that was revealed by the results of this study. In this study, all the nurses made it clear that they wanted to know about the autonomy of patients in respect of DNR orders.

Current state of ethical challenges reported in Saudi Arabia: a systematic review & bibliometric analysis from 2010 to 2021

“…The majority preferred that the form seeking to obtain the permission of the child be short, not to increase the burden on the child since the decision belongs to the parents Most participants preferred to rely on a child's level of maturity rather than having reached a certain age so that they could give consent Non-Saudi doctors deciding on life-sustaining treatment or DNR consulted with the ethical committees more frequently than Saudi doctors Doctors who received their education and postgraduate training abroad were confident about their ethics knowledge in medical practice but had less confidence in making decisions about life-sustaining treatment or DNR orders Consultants compared with non-consultants had more knowledge about ethics, less conflict with family, and were at ease in making decisions about DNR or end-of-life Female doctors were less confident about making decisions about life-sustaining treatment or a DNR order Abu Yahya et al [71] Nurses (n = 157) from Riyadh Most of the nurses wanted there to be a legal basis for DNR policies…”

“…The most common limitation of essential discussions about DNR was a lack of patient understanding, educational level, cultural background of patients, and a lack of DNR policy knowledge by medical staff [60][61][62][63][64]. Most health care representatives wanted to learn more about patients' rights regarding end-of-life care and the use of the DNR order, as this would support the treatment plan for terminally ill patients [60,62,67,68,71].…”

The efficacy of educational interventions on neonatal intensive care unit nurses knowledge and attitude toward neonatal palliative care

“…To examine how well the experimental and control groups knew NPC after intervention, descriptive analysis and an independent t-test test were utilized. The outcomes revealed that nurses who had attended the teaching session (the experimental group) were substantially more likely to have correctly replied to item Q (4,5,6,7,8,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,22,23, and 24) (Table 3). Table 4 shows the paired samples t-test comparing nurses overall attitudes and knowledge score both pre-and postintervention program for each group of nurses separately.…”

“…Management as well as patient support anywhere at any given time, perhaps there are many unknown factors [7,8]. Both health care providers that include nurses and families are undergoing adjustments.…”

Challenges Associated with End-of-Life Care in Saudi Arabia

“…The most common limitation to meaningful DNR discussions is a lack of understanding of the patient's family, education level, and cultural background. The study by Abu Yahya et al shows that most nurses want to be aware of a legal basis for DNR policy, and want to know more about patients' rights regarding end-of-life and the use of the DNR order [37]. The pattern reported by the nurses is similar to that seen in n = 203 pediatricians in the study by Aljethaily et al Thus, most of the study sample could not correctly determine the DNR, the policies and procedures are unclear to them.…”