Should hospices be exempt from following national cardiopulmonary resuscitation guidelines?

with malignant and non-malignant diseases, increasing disease complexity, and multiple comorbidities are attending from earlier in their illness for management of symptoms and supportive care. Indeed, almost half of hospice patients are now discharged.1 Yet, despite these trends we must remember that hospice patients have illnesses that are not curable.2Hospices should be exempt from applying blanket national cardiopulmonary resuscitation guidelines3 because the needs and treatment goals of hospice patients differ from those of patients in other care settings. Instead, the hospice movement should develop its own guidelines, which would take account of patients close to death as well those admitted for symptom control and rehabilitation.