Allow Natural Death (
AND) is a medical term defining the use of life-extending measures such as
cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). These orders emphasize patient comfort and
pain management instead of life extension. Currently, American medical communities utilize “
do not resuscitate,” (DNR) orders to define patients’ medical wishes. Those who propose to replace DNR with AND posit that DNR orders are ambiguous and require complex understanding between several parties, while AND orders are clearer.