(Business Insider) In the UK, people with learning disabilities have been told that healthcare workers will not attempt to save their lives with CPR if they succumb to COVID-19, according to an advocacy group.
Mencap, a UK charity advocating for people with learning disabilities, said that in January it was still receiving reports of people being told that they would not be resuscitated if they fell ill from COVID-19. Mencap said it seemed that these orders were given simply because of the patients’ learning disabilities, The Guardian reported on Monday.
Such “do not attempt to resuscitate” orders (DNARs or DNACPRs) instruct healthcare workers not to attempt CPR if a patient stops breathing or if their heart stops beating. Doctors usually administer these orders after discussing the option with the patient or their caretakers. However, England’s Care Quality Commission reported in December that some people had received DNARs in the spring without their knowledge or consent.