Do-not-resuscitate and stratification-of-care forms in Rhode Island.

Congress passed the Patient Self-Determination Act of 1990 to ensure that patients are informed of their rights to express healthcare preferences in advance of loss of capacity. Thus, a patient may elect to forgo cardiopulmonary resuscitation in favor of a treatment approach that favors comfort over survival. Do-not-resuscitate and stratification-of-care forms provide a means for expression of healthcare preferences in hospitals.