Do Not Resuscitate Research Review

 Through extensive research about this topic, i'm leaning towards having the patients rights taking precedence. In the occasion where a patient is unconscious and unable to give proper direction, a doctor should not take the risk of making legal mistake. Breaching the official DNR orders open doors for the doctor or the hospital receiving legal backlash -- possible lawsuit. It is unfair for a doctor to intervene on a patient's last living wishes or their rights for resuscitation, regardless of their critical condition. However, it definitely is understandable if the a doctor undergoes procedures that prevent irreversible damages to the body and brain. 

Why the patient's rights takes precedence is because when considering patient autonomy, it does not only apply to following the DNR order. In previous situations, they may have filed an official DNR order, but it should be confirmed on whether or not they still remain that same mindset with regards to the present situation.  

Not all 4 pillars of medical ethics are fully applicable to this case. First and foremost, patient autonomy remains quite present to this ethical dilemma. Next, with regards to beneficence, it is the doctor's job and purpose especially in the ER to provide urgent care to heal the patients to their best abilities. That's the premise of "doing good". It is arguable that a doctor who decides, for example, to save this patient's life (one with the DNR tattoo) is not in the wrong because they are performing their job to provide welfare and care for any patient that enters the ER. Lastly, non-maleficence applies because by not putting the patient on ventilator, or life support machines to sustain the life, they are inflicting harm onto the patients. It is therefore extremely contradictory when thinking about the DNR tattoo. I did not discuss the pillar of justice into this dilemma because there is not a lot of conversation regarding the fair allocation of resources to different patient, or choosing one patient over another.