Abstract
Not all do-not-resuscitate ( DNR) patients receive appropriate care from healthcare professionals. Furthermore, several studies have revealed that workload and a lack of specialized knowledge for end-of-life care, in addition to other factors, all resulted in abandoned care for DNR patients. However, few studies have existed regarding healthcare providers' endof-life care experiences for DNR patients. To explore healthcare providers' experience in caring for patients with Do-NotResuscitate orders at one ministry of health hospital, a descriptive qualitative study was conducted by reviewing the DNR policy and using semi-structured individual interviews with nurses and consultants (n=21) working in intensive care units and medical wards in this ministry of health hospital in Jeddah City. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview data. The current study demonstrated that there are few differences in nurses' experiences between intensive care and medical units, and that there is a difference in nursing care provided for DNR patients. Furthermore, nurses working in both units can only provide psychological support to patients' families regarding DNR decisions, while consultants experience a challenge in informing DNR decisions to patients' relatives. Clear nurse roles should be stated in the DNR policies to allow nurses to provide adequate care to DNR patients and their families. Furthermore, providing a more detailed explanation about DNR orders to patients' relatives would increase their awareness level.