If a nurse refuses to give CPR, this is definitely an ethical and legal issue. First and foremost, by virtue of the nurse’s obligation in a health care institution, she “has a duty to perform CPR when an individual at the workplace is not breathing and/or has no pulse” . The statement is consistent with one of the provisions in the nurse’s code of ethics. As stipulated under provision 2, “the nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, community, or population” . If the nurse refuses to give CPR, there should be a valid reason, such as a do not resuscitate (DNR) form should have been signed by the patient or the patient’s immediate family members. Otherwise, in no instance should the nurse refuse to give CPR since her nursing license could be revoked.
Just like the case of a nurse at an independent living facility, the Brookdale Senior Residence facility, who refused to provide CPR for the reason that it was against company policy. The policy was to call 911 and to wait for the emergency personnel to arrive . In the situation, the 87 patient died; yet, the family members reportedly did not pursue a legal case against the nurse or the institution since “their relative didn't want intervention, and they were not planning to complain about the facility's handling of the matter” . Otherwise, the facility and the nurse would be facing legal responsibilities for their inability to provide much needed CPR to the patient. As noted, “the legal responsibility of the facility depends on the agreement between the individual resident and the facility” . At the onset, if and when the facility indicated that no healthcare or emergency care would be provided, and in cases of emergency, the most that the facility would do is to call 911; then, no obligation on the part of the facility or supposedly on the part of the nurse is expected for refusing to conduct CPR. However, if the facility indicated that an in-house nurse could offer emergency services, including CPR; then, the facility and the nurse could not refuse giving CPR when needed.
References
Buppert, C. (2013, March 26). Is a Nurse Obligated to Perform CPR? Retrieved from medscape.com: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/781098_3
Winland-Brown, J., Lachman, V. D., & Swanson, E. O. (2015). The New ‘Code of Ethics for Nurses With Interpretive Statements’ (2015): Practical Clinical Application, Part I. Retrieved from nursingworld.org: http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/EthicsStandards/CodeofEthicsforNurses/Code-of-Ethics-2015-Part-1.pdf
