If receiving CPR is not part of a person’s wishes, the nurse has a legal obligation to honour this wish; however, depending on the emergency (e.g. choking, fall, anaphylaxis) other emergency treatment may be appropriate.
Nurses should know if someone else is authorized to consent on the client’s behalf (substitute decision maker, advance directive, representation agreement, under adult guardianship).
When a client’s wishes don’t include provision of CPR, nurses follow the principles in the Consent Practice Standard, and
- understand and meet their ethical obligations to recognize, respect and promote the client's right to be informed and make informed choices, and
- respect the rights of clients and substitute decision-makers to seek further information, or another opinion, and to involve others in the decision-making and consent process.