• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Legal Templates

Legal Templates
  • Business Forms
    Business & Contracts

    All of our legal contracts and documents are drafted and regularly updated by attorneys licensed in their respective jurisdictions, paralegals, or subject matter experts. Save your hard-earned money and time with Legal Templates.

    Top Business Forms
    Business Formation
    • Business Plan
    • LLC Operating Agreement
    • Articles of Incorporation
    • Corporate Bylaws
    • Buy-Sell Agreement
    Business Operations
    • Business Contract
    • Partnership Agreement
    • Non-Disclosure Agreement
    • Release of Liability
    • Letter of Intent
    Sales and Payments
    • Purchase Agreement
    • Sales Agreement
    • Invoice
    • Purchase Order
    • Business Purchase
    Employment and HR
    • Employment Contract
    • Employment Offer
    • Employment Verification
    • Freelance Contract
    • Non-Compete Agreement
    View All Business Forms
  • Real Estate Forms
    Real Estate

    All of our legal contracts and documents are drafted and regularly updated by attorneys licensed in their respective jurisdictions, paralegals, or subject matter experts. Save your hard-earned money and time with Legal Templates.

    Top Real Estate Forms
    Landlords
    • Lease Agreement
    • Property Management
    • Eviction Notice
    • Late Rent Notice
    • Lease Termination
    Tenants
    • Room Rental
    • Sublease Agreement
    • Roommate Agreement
    • Notice to Vacate
    • Early Lease Termination
    Home Ownership
    • Real Estate Purchase Agreement
    • Mortgage Deed
    • Quitclaim Deed
    • Deed of Trust
    • Moving Checklist
    View all Real Estate Forms
  • Personal & Family Forms
    Personal and Family

    All of our legal contracts and documents are drafted and regularly updated by attorneys licensed in their respective jurisdictions, paralegals, or subject matter experts. Save your hard-earned money and time with Legal Templates.

    Top Personal and Family Forms
    Estate Planning
    • Power of Attorney
    • Last Will & Testament
    • Living Will
    • Advance Directive
    • DNR Form
    Personal Finance
    • Bill of Sale
    • Loan Agreement
    • Purchase Agreement
    • Promissory Note
    • Sales Agreement
    Family Matters
    • Parenting Plan
    • Child Travel Consent
    • Divorce Agreement
    • Separation Agreement
    • Prenuptial Agreement
    Affidavits
    • General Affidavit
    • Gift Affidavit
    • Affidavit of Identity
    • Affidavit of Residence
    • Affidavit of Death
    View All Personal Forms
  • Support
    Resources
    • Business
    • Real Estate
    • Personal and Family
    • Financial
    • Estate Planning
    Support
    • About Us
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
    • All Legal Documents

    Monday - Friday | 9AM - 7PM EDT

    (855) 335-9779

  • Sign In
  • :email

Home Resources Estate Planning What is a DNR?

What is a DNR?

A DNR form, or do-not-resuscitate order, informs medical professionals that you do not want to receive life-saving treatment.

Emily Crowley

Updated July 4, 2022 | Written by Emily Crowley
Reviewed by Susan Chai, Esq.

A “Do Not Resuscitate” (DNR) order is a legal document that lets doctors and medical personnel know that you don’t want life-saving treatment, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), during an emergency.

How do you want your doctor or first responders to proceed if you stop breathing? Some people wish to be revived at all costs, while others prefer to continue into a natural death.

If you want to ensure that medical professionals won’t revive you, create an official DNR form.

What Does DNR Mean?

The abbreviation, DNR, stands for “Do Not Resuscitate”, which is a medical directive that means to not bring someone back to life or consciousness in the event they become unresponsive.

Signing a DNR means that you don’t want doctors or emergency personnel to perform CPR if you stop breathing or your heart stops beating.

Depending on your location, a DNR might also be known by one of the following names:

  • Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR)
  • Allow Natural Death (AND)
  • Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST)
  • Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST)

Every state implements its own DNR laws, so make sure you understand your state’s requirements.

What Does Resuscitate Mean?

Resuscitation is the process of using cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to correct a lack of breathing or heartbeat in an ill patient. CPR refers to the resuscitation of the heart via chest compressions and artificial ventilation.

Medical professionals are legally required to perform CPR to restart your heart and save your life — unless a DNR order has been issued.

Basic CPR techniques involve a series of aggressive chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth breathing in order to stimulate the heart and promote normal breathing.

Medical professionals may also use:

  • A Defibrillator – a device that helps restart the heart through an electrical shock
  • Intubation – an invasive technique that involves forcing tubes into the body to deliver oxygen through the airways

Although it might seem like allowing resuscitation is always the best choice, there are many people with debilitating conditions or illnesses that lead them to create a DNR form.

What Types of Resuscitation Will a DNR Form Prevent?

A DNR Order will stop the primary forms of resuscitation that are used to revive the heart:

  1. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
  2. Advanced cardiac life support (ACLS)
  3. Intubation

As long as you have a DNR form, health professionals aren’t legally allowed to attempt these life-saving techniques.

Common DNR Patient Candidates

nurse with gloves standing next to dnr patient
Discuss with your doctor if a DNR form is suitable for you.

The most common DNR patient candidates include:

  • Older adults
  • Those with a chronic illness
  • Hospital patients with terminal conditions

Although CPR can save lives, it’s a vigorous emergency procedure that may cause further complications.

Weak or fragile patients may suffer painful injuries during CPR or be left in a worse condition.

Other times, CPR doesn’t work and can prolong suffering — particularly for patients with widespread infection or cancer.

Standard DNR candidates fall into one of the following three situations:

  • CPR is not expected to provide a medical benefit (such as for people with severe health problems or a terminal illness).
  • CPR would cause a significant reduction in quality of life (such as widespread brain damage or dependency on a breathing machine).
  • Death is expected soon, and the patient prefers a natural death rather than aggressive interventions.

What Does a DNR Include?

A DNR document is typically included as part of a living will. Keep in mind that even if your living will or advance directive states that you don’t wish to be resuscitated, only a formal DNR document has the power to stop resuscitation efforts.

After discussing the implications of a DNR with your doctor, you’ll need to include the following information in your document:

  • Your name
  • The name of your legal representative (if any)
  • Your physician’s name and phone number
  • The signature of witnesses, a notary, or both
  • The state governing the order
  • The date
  • Physician statement directing the DNR order
  • Patient statement declaring the DNR desires

Of course, creating your DNR won’t help if your doctors and health professionals aren’t aware of its existence. Distribute copies of your DNR to any medical specialists who may care for you.

How to Get a DNR Form

Before the internet, getting a DNR form required an appointment with an attorney to draw up expensive paperwork and sign documents.

Today, it’s easier than ever to get a DNR document using an online DNR form builder. Simply enter your information into the builder, print the customized paperwork, and sign it with your doctor. You can state your desires for end-of-life care in less than five minutes.

Take the time now to ensure you have control over one of the most important personal decisions you can make.

Related read: 9 End of Life Documents Everyone Needs

Emily Crowley

Emily Crowley

Estate Planning Editor

Emily Crowley is a staff writer at Legal Templates. Her background in nonprofit motivates her to improve access to legal advice in underserved groups, especially in end-of-life wishes and estate...

Related Articles

  • Living Will vs Will: What is the Difference?
  • Protecting Yourself from a “Powerless” Power of Attorney
  • Preventing Family Feuds After Power of Attorney
  • Advance Directive vs Living Will
  • What Is a Living Will?

In This Article

  • What Does DNR Mean?
  • What Does Resuscitate Mean?
  • Common DNR Patient Candidates
  • What Does a DNR Include?
  • How to Get a DNR Form

Free DNR Form

Use our free DNR form if you don’t want cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if your heart stops, or you stop breathing.

Get Started

Legal Documents

  • All Legal Forms
  • Business Forms
  • Real Estate Forms
  • Personal and Family Forms

Popular Forms

  • Lease Agreements
  • Power of Attorney Forms
  • Eviction Notice
  • Living Will
  • Non-Disclosure Agreement

Resources

  • Legal Resources
  • Business
  • Real Estate
  • Personal & Family
  • Estate Planning
  • Financial
  • Covid-19 Resources

Company

  • Pricing
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Partner With Us
  • Legal Dictionary

Users

  • Account
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
McAfee - Together is power.
Trustpilot
Legal Templates BBB Accredited Business

(855) 335-9779, Monday-Friday, 9AM - 7PM EDT

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

Copyright 2023 Legal Templates LLC. Legal Templates LLC is not a lawyer, or a law firm and does not engage in the practice of law. Legal Templates cannot and does not provide legal advice or legal representation. All information, software and services provided on the site are for informational purposes and self-help only and are not intended to be a substitute for a lawyer or professional legal advice. Our legal contracts and documents are drafted and regularly updated by attorneys licensed in their respective jurisdictions, paralegals, or subject matter experts. Use of this site is subject to our Terms of Use. Legaltemplates.net is owned and operated by Resume Technologies Limited, London with offices in London United Kingdom.

Thank you for downloading one of our free legal templates!

Would you leave us a review?

We hope you've found what you need and are able to avoid the time, costs, and stress associated with dealing with a lawyer.

A review would mean the world to us (it only takes about 15 seconds).

Please check your download folder for MS Word or open tabs for PDF so you can access your FREE Legal Template Sample

Thanks again, and good luck!

Leave My Review