Nurse signs DNR without consent / KBS 2025.12.04.

[Anchor]

Patients nearing the end of life can refuse life-sustaining treatment, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if they or their families consent.

However, at a university hospital, a pneumonia patient was registered as a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) patient without the knowledge of the family.

It was revealed that a nurse had signed on behalf of the patient, prompting the Ministry of Health and Welfare to launch an investigation.

Reporter Hong Seong-hee has the exclusive coverage.

[Report]

Ms. Kim's mother was hospitalized for pneumonia at a university hospital in August of the year before last.

Ms. Kim stopped filling out the consent form for refusing life-sustaining treatment when she was asked by the attending physician to do so.

[Kim○○/Guardian at the time/Daughter: "I started writing it thinking it was for family consent for tests. But after hearing more about it, I realized that wasn't the case. So I said I wouldn't do it and handed it back."]

Her mother’s condition improved but suddenly passed away from cardiac arrest about a month after being hospitalized.

Life-sustaining treatment, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, was not performed.

At that time, the nursing log indicated that Ms. Kim's mother had agreed to DNR, or refusal of life-sustaining treatment.

The investigation by the Ministry of Health and Welfare revealed a comprehensive failure in management.

The consent form that Ms. Kim had started to fill out was not discarded and was sent to the department responsible for life-sustaining treatment.

Additionally, a nurse wrote and signed that the patient did not want life-sustaining treatment.

There were no procedures to confirm the patient's or family's wishes or to notify them after registration.

The case that Ms. Kim filed against the hospital was closed with a 'no charges' decision, citing that the causal relationship between the cessation of life-sustaining treatment and the death could not be established.

[Kim○○/Guardian at the time/Daughter: "This is a wound that my family will never be able to wash away for a lifetime. Because they are older and have health issues, it seems like they can just pass away like that."]

The hospital stated in the investigation by the Ministry of Health and Welfare that they recognized it as a simple omission of the signature and supplemented it by signing.

As administrative action against the hospital is planned, there are calls to strengthen the consent procedures for patients or families when applying for refusal of life-sustaining treatment.

KBS News, Hong Seong-hee.

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