§321-23.6  Rapid identification documents. 
(a)  The department shall adopt rules for emergency medical services that shall
include:



(1)  Uniform methods of rapidly identifying an adult
person who has certified, or for whom has been certified, in a written
"comfort care only" document that the person or, consistent with
chapter 327E, the person's guardian, agent, or surrogate directs emergency
medical services personnel, first responder personnel, and health care
providers not to administer chest compressions, rescue breathing, electric
shocks, or medication, or all of these, given to restart the heart if the
person's breathing or heart stops, and directs that the person is to receive
care for comfort only, including oxygen, airway suctioning, splinting of fractures,
pain medicine, and other measures required for comfort;



(2)  The written document containing the certification
shall be signed by the patient or, consistent with chapter 327E, the person's
guardian, agent, or surrogate and by any two other adult persons who personally
know the patient; and



(3)  The original document containing the
certification and all three signatures shall be maintained by the patient, the
patient's:



(A)  Physician;



(B)  Attorney;



(C)  Guardian;



(D)  Surrogate; or



(E)  Any other person who may lawfully act on
the patient's behalf.



Two copies of the document shall be given to the
patient, or the patient's guardian, agent, or surrogate.



(b)  The rules shall provide for the following:



(1)  The patient, or the patient's guardian, agent, or
surrogate, may verbally revoke the "comfort care only" document at
any time, including during the emergency situation;



(2)  An anonymous tracking system shall be developed
to assess the success or failure of the procedures and to ensure that abuse is
not occurring; and



(3)  If an emergency medical services person, first
responder, or any other health care provider believes in good faith that the
provider's safety, the safety of the family or immediate bystanders, or the
provider's own conscience requires the patient be resuscitated despite the
presence of a "comfort care only" document, then that provider may
attempt to resuscitate that patient, and neither the provider, the ambulance
service, nor any other person or entity shall be liable for attempting to
resuscitate the patient against the patient's will. [L 1994, c 173, §1; am L
2006, c 46, §1]



 



Revision Note



 



  This section was renumbered from §321-229.5.