Talk:Slow code

A fact from Slow code appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 27 April 2013 (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:

Did you know... that slow code is a purposely slow response to a patient in cardiac arrest?

A record of the entry may be seen at Wikipedia:Recent additions/2013/April. The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/Slow code.

Wikipedia

Medicine Low‑importance

	Medicine portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Medicine, which recommends that medicine-related articles follow the Manual of Style for medicine-related articles and that biomedical information in any article use high-quality medical sources. Please visit the project page for details or ask questions at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Medicine.MedicineWikipedia:WikiProject MedicineTemplate:WikiProject Medicinemedicine articles
Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.

Partial code

I'm confused by the current partial code paragraph. What is considered medically unsound? The intubation, etc. or the patient's advance medical directive? Is it always considered unsound, or only in certain cases? If a partial code is considered unsound, what's the sound alternative in this case: full resusitation against the patient's wishes, or complete withholding of treatment? - Additionally, I'm unclear as to the exact circumstances to which "slow code" applies. Is it specifically when the patient has a DNR-like order, or does it also apply when the patient would allow a full code, but doctors don't believe it would help (but go through the motions anyway). And if a slow code is considered unethical, what is the ethically recommended course of action instead? -- 67.40.214.209 (talk) 20:42, 27 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

The slow code is an antiquated (20 years or more) process that existed mainly before the introduction of DNR orders and advanced directives when resuscitation efforts were considered futile but health care providers felt obligated legally to make an intervention. I haven't seen or heard of one since the early 1990s. Maybe there is a good reference out there to make the description more current.MartinezMD (talk) 23:12, 27 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Where it happens

Does this only happen in the US or in other countries as well? Simply south...... eating shoes for just 7 years 21:20, 27 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

In the UK this concept certainly exists but nobody seems to have bothered to come up with a name for it. In fact, I suspect it exists in every developed country health system where there are difficulties in the communication around end-of-life decisions. JFW | T@lk 08:27, 11 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I agree that deliberate delays in applying CPR and defibrillation probably happen everywhere where patients are terminally ill, but the term and formal characterisation seem to be American. The article certainly has a US focus. It would be better if this was made clear explicitly in the text. --Ef80 (talk) 21:46, 14 December 2017 (UTC)[reply]