Consideration of advance directives by emergency physicians in patients with cardiac arrest: a clinical vignettes-based qualitative study.

Background: Emergency medical services (EMS) must incorporate the patient's physiologic state and end-of-life wishes when determining whether to initiate and/or continue cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This study aims to describe and analyze the use of advance directives (ADs) in CPR by emergency physicians (EPs).

Methods: A qualitative approach using semi-directed interviews was conducted.