Advanced do‐not‐attempt‐resuscitation directives and emergency medical services for out‐of‐hospital cardiopulmonary arrest patients in Japan: a pilot study

AIMS: We investigated how do‐not‐attempt‐resuscitation (DNAR) orders are currently used, and we examined the emergency medical team responses for out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) cases in Japan. METHODS: The sample for this prospective study comprised all OHCA cases attended to by the Sagamihara Municipal Fire Department emergency medical services between May 30, 2019 and February 15, 2020. Data were recorded by the responding emergency medical team. RESULTS: There were 396 OHCA cases. The mean age was 75 ± 18 years, and individuals aged 65 years or older accounted for 80.6%. Approximately 70% of the patients had an underlying disease. A DNAR order was available in only 45 (11.4%) of the cases, of which 12 (26.7%) were written, 27 (60%) were verbally confirmed, and six (13.3%) were confirmed in some other way or both. The home physician was present and able to confirm the patient’s death in only one of the DNAR cases. In 43 (95.6%) of the cases, the emergency medical team carried out cardiopulmonary resuscitation despite a DNAR order; of them, a total of 17 (37.8%) patients were transported to a tertiary emergency hospital. CONCLUSIONS: Our analyses indicate the under‐utilization of DNAR advance directives and advance care planning (which are important for better end‐of‐life care) in Japan. Currently, an emergency medical team could be required to attempt resuscitation against an individuals’ clear DNAR order. In the future, legal arrangements regarding the handling of DNAR directives on site may be required to respect patients’ wishes.