A retrospective observational study examined how often emergency vehicles were dispatched with lights and sirens to suspected out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients who already had a physician-issued DNAR order in the hospital record, across all 1,695 emergency OHCA dispatches in the Region of Southern Denmark in 2024.
In 266 of 1,695 dispatches (15.7%), the patient had a DNAR order on file — yet there was no significant difference in the number of emergency units dispatched and arriving on scene compared to non-DNAR patients. One-day mortality was 90.6% in the DNAR group vs. 69.5% in those without (p<0.001).
Single-region study in Denmark, limiting generalizability to other health systems and legal frameworks. Retrospective design relies on completeness of prehospital and hospital records. No data on outcomes beyond mortality (e.g., patient comfort, family distress) are reported.
Nearly 1 in 6 OHCA dispatches involved a patient with an existing DNAR order that prehospital crews could not access — wasting resources and overriding patient autonomy. Integrating hospital DNAR records into emergency dispatch systems should be a priority for health systems and legislators.
Explore related topics
