Aspectos éticos médicos das diretivas antecipadas de vontade e ordens de não ressuscitação

Abstract

Do Not Resuscitate – DNR orders still reveal an ethical dilemma for health professionals - especially physician - who have a duty to deal with this living will of patients and/or family members or to indicate it, when there is none advance directive of will and in front of a patient for whom medicine - despite its countless advances - still does not have the means to treat that affects him and that, certainly, will end by taking that life. These patients, for the most part, are already in palliative/proportional care protocols and are aware of the approach of the end. However, such orders are also admitted or indicated for patients with severe malformations - incompatible with the continuity of life - even when they are newborns or at a young age. It was then sought to analyze the ethical aspects of these orders and how these commands should be processed, what criteria should be considered for the indication of ONR's, how should the medical professional behave before ONR previously and legally determined and how they should be validated and registered in medical records so that there are no ethical-professional and penal reflexes to the disadvantage of the doctor.