190.609. Order effective, when--limitations of order. - Missouri Statutes

Order effective, when--limitations of order.

190.609. 1. An outside the hospital do-not-resuscitate order shallonly be effective when the patient has not been admitted to or is not beingtreated within a hospital.

2. An outside the hospital do-not-resuscitate order and the outsidethe hospital do-not-resuscitate protocol shall not authorize thewithholding or withdrawing of other medical interventions, such asintravenous fluids, oxygen, or therapies other than cardiopulmonaryresuscitation. Outside the hospital do-not-resuscitate orders and theoutside the hospital do-not-resuscitate protocol shall not authorize thewithholding or withdrawing of therapies deemed necessary to provide comfortcare or alleviate pain. Any authorization for withholding or withdrawinginterventions or therapies that is inconsistent with sections 190.600 to190.621 and is found or included in any outside the hospitaldo-not-resuscitate order or in the outside the hospital do-not-resuscitateprotocol shall be null, void, and of no effect. Nothing in this sectionshall prejudice any other lawful directives concerning such medicalinterventions and therapies.

3. An outside the hospital do-not-resuscitate order shall not beeffective during such time as the patient is pregnant; provided, however,that physicians, persons under the direction or authorization of aphysician, emergency medical services personnel, and health care facilitiesshall not be subject to civil, criminal, or administrative liability andare not guilty of unprofessional conduct if, while acting in accordancewith the provisions of sections 190.600 to 190.621 and the provisions of anoutside the hospital do-not-resuscitate order executed under sections190.600 to 190.621, such persons and entities:

(1) Comply with an outside the hospital do-not-resuscitate order andwithdraw or withhold cardiopulmonary resuscitation from a pregnant patientwhile believing in good faith that the patient is not pregnant; or

(2) Despite the presence of an outside the hospitaldo-not-resuscitate order, provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation to anonpregnant patient while believing in good faith that the patient ispregnant.

(L. 2007 H.B. 182)