Should hospices be exempt from following national cardiopulmonary resuscitation guidelines?
Experts in two papers published on bmj.com today disagree on whether cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guidelines should apply to hospices. Dr Max Watson and colleagues believe that CPR is not always appropriate for patients who are dying and that hospices should be able to develop their own guidelines. However, Drs Claud Regnard and Fiona Randall argue that it is “inconceivable” that hospices should seek exemption from the good practice set out in the UK guidelines. Watson says that blanket rules on CPR do not work in hospices because the needs of these patients are unique. In a hospice “the goal for the majority is quality of life and a dignified death”, he argues. Dr Watson goes further and says that full CPR facilities are often not possible in hospices and that it is disingenuous to discuss this issue with patients when only basic life support equipment and training may be available. In conclusion, Watson calls for specific hospice guidelines that are clear, simple and robust an
