Do not resuscitate order: attitude of nursing students of Tabriz and Kurdistan Universities of Medical Sciences

Do not resuscitate order (DNR) is one of the most challenging issues in end of life care. The attitude of health care providers has an important role in legalization of this procedure. The aim of the present study was to investigate the viewpoints of nursing students on DNR orders. One hundred and eighty six nursing students from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (TUOMS) and Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences (KUMS) participated in the present study. Data collection was performed by Attitude on DNR Order Questionnaire that consisted of 25 items. The results showed that nursing students have a negative attitude toward many aspects of DNR orders، had many misconceptions about this procedure and tended to acquire more information about it. Also، students reported a negative attitude about passive euthanasia and reported that cultural and religious factors are important in their attitude toward DNR orders. Moreover، there was no statistical difference between the attitudes of nursing students from these two universities with two different cultural and religious backgrounds (P > 0. 05). Considering the lack of knowledge of nursing students about DNR orders it is suggested that nursing students should be educated on the subject. Due to little research evidence conducting further studies is recommended.