P086: Awareness and barriers to access of a Ministry of Health mandated ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ confirmation form: An interim analysis

Introduction: Elderly patients with comorbid illness have poor meaningful recovery after out of hospital cardiac arrest. Many elderly patients decide that if they have a cardiac arrest, they would want not want resuscitation. In Ontario, prehospital personnel must provide resuscitation to all patients regardless of previously stated wishes or legal documentation unless they are presented a Ministry of Health mandated ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ Confirmation Form (MOH-DNRCF). This study aimed to evaluate the awareness of this form as well as any barriers to its completion. Methods: Patients over 70 years of age presenting to the Emergency Department were approached to complete a short survey about their wishes regarding resuscitation, awareness of the MOH-DNRCF, as well as any barriers to completion. Standard demographic variables were also collected. Patients, with critical illness, with severe dementia, a language barrier or from a nursing home were excluded. The primary outcome was awareness of the MOH-DNRCF. Standard descriptive statistics were summarized using median [IQR] and simple proportions. Results: Preliminary data of 96 patients has been collected. The median [IQR] age of patients recruited was 81 [75-88] years and 54% were female. 49/96 (51%) have wishes to not be resuscitated in the event of cardiac arrest and of those 42 (86%) are not aware of the existence of the MOH-DNRCF. Of the 7 patients who were aware of the form only 1 had completed one. Barriers to completion included the patient being unsure where to access the form and difficulty in discussing the topic. Conclusion: The majority of patients with wishes to be DNR are unaware of the MOH-DNRCF. This has severe repercussions as, in the event of an out of hospital cardiac arrest, these patients would be resuscitated by prehospital care providers. Strategies to increase awareness of the form as well as strategies to increase ease of access should be considered to avoid resuscitation that is against patient wishes.