Allow Natural Death (AND) is a medical term defining the use of life-extending measures such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
These orders emphasize patient comfort and pain management instead of life extension.
The ease with which the terminology change can be practically incorporated depends on many factors such as costs and staff reeducation.
[1] DNR terminology was replaced in 2005 by the American Heart Association with Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR) in an effort to make clearer the meaning of the order.
These considerations can involve the four main principles of biomedical ethics, including autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice.
It is argued that in these cases, physicians should have the capability to revoke a patient's DNR or AND, though a wide consensus has yet to be reached.
Another study found similar results when giving a scenario to 524 adults- end of life care was more accepted when AND was used.
In two studies conducted by the same authors, there was no significant difference in choosing end of life care when AND or DNR was used.