Clinical audit on documentation of anticipatory "not for resuscitation" orders in a tertiary Australian teaching hospital.

Aim: The purpose of this clinical audit was to determine how accurately documentation of anticipatory Not for Resuscitation (NFR) orders takes place in a major metropolitan teaching hospital of Australia.

Materials And Methods: Retrospective hospital-based study. Independent case reviewers using a questionnaire designed to study NFR documentation reviewed documentation of NFR in 88 case records.

Palliative Care Awareness among Indian Undergraduate Health Care Students: A Needs-Assessment Study to Determine Incorporation of Palliative Care Education in Undergraduate Medical, Nursing and Allied Health Education.

Purpose: Quality assurance data worldwide suggests that the current healthcare system is providing inadequate care for the dying. Current health care education focuses entirely on cure and care is almost compromised or nonexistent in end-of-life settings. The purpose of this study was to determine palliative care awareness among Indian undergraduate health care students and assess the need for incorporating palliative medicine education into undergraduate health education.

Ethics and medico legal aspects of "not for resuscitation".

Not for resuscitation in India still remains an abstract concept with no clear guidelines or legal frame work. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a complex medical intervention which is often used inappropriately in hospitalized patients and usually guided by medical decision making rather than patient-directed choices. Patient autonomy still remains a weak concept and relatives are expected to make this big decision in a short time and at a time of great emotional distress.