Knowledge and attitude toward do-not-resuscitate among patients and their relatives visiting outpatient clinics at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVES: To assess knowledge and attitudes about do not resuscitate (DNR) among patients and their relatives visiting outpatient clinics at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study conducted between March and April 2018 with a self-administered questionnaire among patients and their relatives visiting outpatient clinics at KAUH. A systematic random selection of individuals every other day. RESULTS: The questionnaire was filled by 400 participants. Fifty-four percent were patients’ relatives, and approximately 60% were female. Out of 105 (26.3%) who were familiar with the DNR term, 44.8% chose the correct definition, 5.2% had previous experience with the DNR term, and 34.3% of them had DNR-related knowledge from social media. Out of the 400 participants, 169 (42.3%) disagreed with DNR. The majority of responders did not know if there is DNR policy or fatwa (a legal opinion on the point of Islamic law). CONCLUSION: There is a lack of knowledge regarding DNR among participants.