VIEWPOINT: ‘Allow Natural Death’ vs. ‘Do Not Resuscitate’

In this article from the American Journal of Nursing, Jo Stecher explores her own personal emotional responses to signing a “Do Not Resuscitate” order for her mother and presents an argument for changing the language to “Allow Natural Death” (AND), including how AND reflects an end-of-life philosophy of providing comfort rather than cure, whereas DNR reflects a model of care in which death is seen as a failure of treatment.