Ohio uses a standardized Do Not Resuscitate form issued through the Ohio Department of Health. The form must be signed by an authorized healthcare provider, and it directs EMS personnel and other medical staff to withhold CPR and other resuscitative measures. Ohio recognizes two distinct types of DNR orders, each with different implications for the care you receive before your heart or breathing stops.
Two Types of DNR Orders in Ohio
Ohio doesn’t have a single DNR category. Instead, the state distinguishes between DNR Comfort Care (DNR-CC) and DNR Comfort Care Arrest (DNR-CCA), and the difference matters significantly.
DNR Comfort Care (DNR-CC) is the more restrictive option. From the moment the order is written, you receive only comfort measures, whether or not your heart is still beating. Healthcare providers will not perform chest compressions, insert an artificial airway, administer resuscitative drugs, use a defibrillator, provide mechanical breathing assistance, or start resuscitative IVs or cardiac monitoring. What they will do is suction your airway, administer oxygen, position you for comfort, control bleeding, splint or immobilize injuries, provide pain medication, and offer emotional support. They’ll also contact hospice or home health providers as appropriate.
DNR Comfort Care Arrest (DNR-CCA) allows life-saving treatments to continue right up until the moment your heart or breathing stops. Only after cardiac or respiratory arrest does the comfort-care-only restriction kick in. This option is designed for people who still want active medical treatment for their current conditions but don’t want resuscitation efforts if their heart stops.
Choosing between these two options is one of the most important decisions in the process. A person with a treatable condition who simply doesn’t want to be resuscitated would typically choose DNR-CCA. Someone in the final stages of a terminal illness who wants to focus entirely on comfort would lean toward DNR-CC.
How to Get the Form
The official State of Ohio DNR Order Form is available for download from the Ohio Department of Health website. You can print it at home, and copies are legally valid. But downloading and filling it out yourself isn’t enough. A DNR order is a medical order, not a personal declaration. It must be signed by an authorized healthcare provider: a physician, an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), or a physician assistant (PA).
This is a key distinction from a living will, which you can complete on your own while healthy. A living will states your preferences for future medical situations. A DNR order is an active medical directive that tells first responders and hospital staff what to do right now. You can have both, and they serve complementary purposes, but only the DNR order (or a living will that has become operative and specifically addresses CPR) will direct EMS personnel in an emergency.
How EMS Recognizes Your DNR Status
In an emergency, paramedics need to confirm your DNR status quickly. Ohio law recognizes several forms of approved DNR identification:
- The State of Ohio DNR Order Form (original or copy)
- A DNR wallet card bearing the official logo and your identifying information
- A DNR necklace or bracelet bearing the official Ohio DNR Comfort Care logo and your name (if you have DNR-CCA status, the word “arrest” must also appear)
- A transparent hospital-type bracelet with an insert containing the logo and your information
- An operative living will that specifically states you do not want CPR, if two physicians have determined you are in a terminal or permanently unconscious state
- A verbal DNR order issued by your attending physician, APRN, or PA directly to EMS personnel
EMS workers are not required to search you for DNR identification. But if they discover any of these items, they must make a reasonable effort to verify your identity before following the protocol. Verification can be as simple as a family member confirming your name, a driver’s license, a hospital ID band, or the EMS worker knowing you personally. If they cannot verify your identity after reasonable efforts, they should still follow the DNR protocol unless their medical director instructs otherwise.
For patients in healthcare facilities with a DNR order on their chart, identity verification is not required.
Revoking or Changing a DNR Order
You can cancel your DNR status at any time. Ohio law makes revocation straightforward: simply make an oral or written request to receive CPR. You don’t need to fill out a form or get a provider’s signature to revoke. You can also destroy your DNR order form or wallet card, or remove your DNR bracelet or necklace. If your DNR status was tied to a living will, you revoke it by revoking the living will itself under Ohio’s standard revocation process.
The revocation takes effect immediately. If you change your mind during a medical crisis and tell the paramedics you want CPR, they are obligated to provide it.
What Happens During Facility Transfers
If you’re being transferred between healthcare facilities, such as from a nursing home to a hospital, your DNR status travels with you. Ohio administrative code requires that when a person with a current DNR order is transferred, an original or paper copy of the signed State of Ohio DNR Order Form accompanies them. If a DNR order exists but hasn’t yet been put in writing on the official form, it must be documented on the form before the transfer takes place. This prevents situations where your wishes get lost in the transition between care settings.
Legal Protection for Providers
One concern people sometimes have is whether healthcare workers might hesitate to honor a DNR order out of fear of legal consequences. Ohio law addresses this directly. EMS personnel, hospital employees, contractors, and volunteers who comply with a DNR order issued by a physician are shielded from civil liability, criminal prosecution, and professional disciplinary action. The same protection extends to physicians, consulting physicians, healthcare facilities, and their staff who act on a declaration in good faith. This legal immunity is designed to ensure providers follow your documented wishes without second-guessing.
DNR Orders vs. Living Wills and Powers of Attorney
These three documents overlap in purpose but work differently. A living will is something you write yourself while competent, stating what treatments you want or don’t want if you become terminally ill or permanently unconscious and can no longer speak for yourself. A healthcare power of attorney designates someone to make medical decisions on your behalf. A DNR order is a physician’s order that specifically addresses resuscitation.
A living will can function as DNR identification in Ohio, but only under specific conditions: it must explicitly state that you do not want CPR, and two physicians must have determined that you are in a terminal or permanently unconscious state. Outside those circumstances, a living will alone won’t stop EMS from performing CPR. That’s why many people choose to have both a living will and a separate DNR order, ensuring their wishes are honored regardless of the setting or situation.