Nursing

In the mix: Facing questions about a patient’s code

Stressed Out Nurses Weekly, April 6, 2009

by Chelsea Bancroft, RN

I know this question is very similar to the other debate about whether family members should be present during a code, but it is something that really interests me.

As nurses, how do we approach the topic of code status? It is something that we have to deal with on a daily basis. When I’m getting report from the night shift, the first thing mentioned is the patient’s code status—whether it is full, limited, or do-not-resuscitate (DNR).

We deal with family a lot more than the doctors do, so my question is: When a family wants to discuss code status and whether or not to change from a full code to a limited or DNR, where do I begin? Obviously, I know to not give my opinion because that can get me in a lot of trouble. But, when you know that the patient is in critical or poor condition with a not-so-great prognosis, what do you say?

And if a family isn’t addressing code status and there is a need to talk about this, how would you go about talking about it?

As a new nurse always looking for new information, any you could provide would be great!

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