Doctors 'less likely to resuscitate the very sick after pandemic'

FAR-REACHING TOLL OF CORONAVIRUS

- Stephen Beech

THE Covid crisis has increased doctors' willingness to not resuscitate the very sick, a study suggests.

More than half of doctors questioned were less likely to attempt to revive the extremely poorly than previously.

The threshold for intensive care had also been raised.

And the impetus prompted by the pandemic to label more patients "Do Not Attempt Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation" (DNACPR) persisted even when Covid admissions had returned to relatively low levels.

Study author Dr Benjamin Kah Wai Chang, of St Mary's University Twickenham, said: "At the start of the pandemic, the BMA [British Medical Association] advised clinicians that in the event of NHS resources becoming unable to meet demand, resource allocation decisions should follow a utilitarian ethic.