Why is the study being carried out?

Decisions related to CPR are described by professional bodies as emotive, complex and ethically challenging.  DNACPR is also a regular subject in regulatory hearings and medical-legal cases. There have in addition been a number of reports form national agencies (NCEPOD 2012) and charities (MENCAP 2012) highlighting confusion related to DNACPR forms.

The research questions are;

1. What do nurses understand about DNACPR?

2. How might these understandings impact nursing care and risk of harm to patients?

There are no studies to date that seek to specifically answer the questions above. The study intends to prevent harm and facilitate nurses in practice be answering these questions. This will be achieved by making recommendations for clinical practice and policy based on the study findings. The finding and recommendations, with a guide for implementation, will be published and shared with participants and professional bodies.

How is the study being done? 

The study uses an exploratory mixed methods design. This mix of methods allows the analysis of data to help build a tool to collect and analyse more data. 

In this case existing data, NMC hearing transcripts, have been analysed qualitatively to identify themes - using reflexive thematic analysis. The themes were further explored using a questionnaire self administered by a sample of nurses online via Survey Monkey.

Has the study been ethically approved?

Yes, the study has been approved by the General University Ethics Panel at the University of Stirling.