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Brian W. Blakley, MD
University of Minnesota Hennepin County Medical Center Minneapolis

JAMA. 1986;255(21):2897.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

The thought-provoking editorial on doctor's orders by Dr Veatch¹ deserves comment. Dr Veatch questions the propriety of the term "doctor's orders" in a society "moving toward a consensual or covenantal model in which the patient makes choices." Dr Veatch is apparently particularly offended that "do not resuscitate" orders that come from the patient or family are not identified as such. He wonders why the approach of business professionals is not adopted in the health care field.

Of course, the rules in the business community are different from those we face in health care. Commercial enterprises are created by human beings; the forces acting upon them are decided upon by human beings, and success or failure is determined by human beings. The major measure of success in business is profit. This may involve a product that is cheaper rather than better and may be sold with better . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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