Study Provides New Insights into Complex Juncture of Emergency Care and End-of-Life Care

July 15, 2015

(News-Medical) – Paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) are trained to save lives. But they sometimes enter situations where a dying patient’s end-of-life wishes contradict their professional code. What do they do when faced with someone who is imminently dying and whose pre-hospital order is “do not resuscitate”? Until recently, the dynamics of that environment were a mystery. “One way to gain perspective on these crises was to interview the paramedics and EMTs involved in them,” says Deborah Waldrop, a professor in the University at Buffalo School of Social Work.