South Carolina Code 44-78-30. Required form for “do not resuscitate order”; revocation procedure; “do not resuscitate bracelet”
NOTICE TO EMS PERSONNEL
Terms Used In South Carolina Code 44-78-30
- Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
- bracelet: means a standardized identification bracelet that:
(a) meets the specifications established under § 44-78-30(B) or that is approved by the department under § 44-78-30(B);
(b) bears the inscription "Do Not Resuscitate"; and
(c) signifies that the wearer is a patient who has obtained a do not resuscitate order which has not been revoked. See South Carolina Code 44-78-15 - Child: means a person under the age of eighteen who is neither married nor judicially emancipated and who is medically eligible for hospice care as a result of a terminal condition. See South Carolina Code 44-78-15
- EMS personnel: means emergency medical personnel certified by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control including first responders who have completed a Department of Health and Environmental Control approved medical first responder program. See South Carolina Code 44-78-15
- Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- Health care provider: means a person licensed to practice medicine or osteopathy pursuant to Chapter 47 of Title 40. See South Carolina Code 44-78-15
- Terminal condition: means an incurable or irreversible condition that within reasonable medical judgment will cause death within a reasonably short period of time with or without the administration of life-sustaining treatment. See South Carolina Code 44-78-15
This notice is to inform all emergency medical personnel who may be called to render assistance to _________________ that he/she has a terminal condition which has been diagnosed by me, and has specifically requested that no resuscitative efforts including artificial stimulation of the cardiopulmonary system by electrical, mechanical, or manual means be made in the event of cardiopulmonary arrest or, if he/she is a child, such a request has been specifically made by a parent or legal guardian with the legal authority to make medical decisions for the child.
REVOCATION PROCEDURE
THIS FORM MAY BE REVOKED BY AN ORAL STATEMENT BY THE PATIENT OR, IF THE PATIENT IS A CHILD, BY A PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN WITH THE LEGAL AUTHORITY TO MAKE MEDICAL DECISIONS FOR THE CHILD TO EMS PERSONNEL OR BY MUTILATING, OBLITERATING, OR DESTROYING THE DOCUMENT IN ANY MANNER.
Date:_______________________________
___________________________________
Patient’s signature (or surrogate or agent)
___________________________________
Parent or Legal Guardian
___________________________________
Physician’s signature
___________________________________
Physician’s address
___________________________________
Physician’s telephone number
(B) The department may approve a "do not resuscitate bracelet" developed and distributed by a commercial vendor if the bracelet contains an emblem that displays an internationally recognized medical symbol on the front and the words "South Carolina Do Not Resuscitate EMS" and the patient’s first name and last name on the back. The department may not approve a "do not resuscitate bracelet" developed and distributed by a commercial vendor if the vendor does not require a health care provider‘s order for the bracelet before distributing it to a patient.
(C) The cost of obtaining a bracelet must be borne by the patient or, if the patient is a child, the parent or legal guardian of the child and may not be provided by the department at the expense of the department.
(D) The vendor approved by the department shall not fulfill a request for a "do not resuscitate bracelet" without receiving a health care provider’s order for the bracelet with the request.