Wisconsin governs Do Not Resuscitate orders under Chapter 154 of state law, which spells out who can request one, how it’s documented, and how emergency responders recognize it. A DNR order in Wisconsin is specifically about CPR: it tells emergency medical workers not to attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation if your heart stops or you stop breathing. Without a DNR order on file, the care team is required to attempt CPR.
What a Wisconsin DNR Covers (and Doesn’t)
A DNR order in Wisconsin is narrow in scope. It applies only to resuscitation, meaning chest compressions, rescue breathing, defibrillation, and related emergency interventions to restart the heart or lungs. It does not cover other types of medical treatment. Pain management, antibiotics, IV fluids, and other care continue unless separate documents say otherwise.
This is an important distinction because many people confuse a DNR with broader advance directives. Wisconsin law recognizes two other planning documents: a living will (officially called a Declaration to Physicians) and a Power of Attorney for Health Care. A living will lets you define what life-sustaining treatments you want if you’re terminally ill or in a permanent vegetative state. A Power of Attorney for Health Care appoints someone to make all health care decisions on your behalf if you become incapacitated, not just decisions about life support. A DNR order works alongside these documents but does something different: it ensures that in an emergency, paramedics and first responders know not to perform CPR.
Who Can Get a DNR Order
To obtain a DNR order in Wisconsin, you need an attending health care provider who will evaluate your medical situation and provide counseling. During that counseling session, the provider reviews written information about DNR procedures and documents the qualifying medical conditions that support the order. These records go into the patient’s file.
Three categories of people can request and sign the DNR paperwork: the patient themselves, a legal guardian, or a health care agent acting on behalf of a patient who cannot respond. The health care agent is the person named in a Power of Attorney for Health Care document.
How to Complete the Paperwork
The official form is called the Emergency Care Do Not Resuscitate Order, form F-44763, issued by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The most recent version dates to November 2022. Two signatures are required for the document to be valid: one from the patient (or their guardian or health care agent) and one from the attending health care professional. Both signatures must be dated. If either signature is missing, the order is not considered complete.
The Wisconsin DNR Bracelet
Wisconsin uses a bracelet system so that emergency responders can quickly identify a valid DNR order in the field. This system has been in place since 1995. The bracelet is the practical link between your paperwork and the paramedics who arrive at your home or the scene of an emergency. Without it, EMS personnel may have no way to verify your wishes in time.
There are two types of bracelets. The plastic version is free and looks like a standard hospital identification band. Your health care provider supplies it after completing form F-44763. The band contains an official insert printed with the provider’s signature, printed name, work phone number, and the pre-printed State of Wisconsin logo. Each medical facility sources these plastic bands from its own vendor; the state does not supply them directly.
The metal version is a more durable, permanent bracelet available for a fee from StickyJ Medical ID, the vendor recommended by the Department of Health Services. The front of the metal bracelet displays the international medical symbol (the Staff of Aesculapius) and the phrase “Wisconsin Do Not Resuscitate EMS.” The back is engraved with the patient’s first and last name, plus additional health information if space allows. Bracelets from the previous vendor, Medic Alert, are still recognized as valid.
What the Bracelet Insert Must Include
Wisconsin administrative code (DHS 125.04) sets specific requirements for the plastic bracelet. It must be a clear, standard hospital-type band at least three-quarters of an inch wide. The insert form, supplied by the Department of Health Services, comes pre-printed in blue with the words “Do Not Resuscitate” and the state seal. The left half of the insert lists the patient’s name, address, date of birth, and gender. The right half carries the physician’s name, business phone number, and original signature, all printed in size 8 font or larger.
How EMS Responds to a DNR Bracelet
When paramedics or emergency medical responders arrive on scene and see an official Wisconsin DNR bracelet, they follow the directive and withhold CPR. The bracelet serves as proof that a valid order exists. If no bracelet is present and responders don’t have access to the signed form, they will proceed with resuscitation efforts by default.
This is why the bracelet matters so much for people who spend time outside of a hospital or care facility. The signed form may be in a file at your doctor’s office, but the bracelet travels with you. If you’re at home, at a store, or anywhere else when a cardiac or respiratory emergency happens, the bracelet is what communicates your wishes to the people who show up first.
Revoking a DNR Order
A DNR order in Wisconsin can be revoked at any time. The law is designed to protect your ability to change your mind. If you revoke your order, the simplest step is to remove and destroy the bracelet, since that’s the item EMS uses to identify the order in the field. You should also notify your health care provider so the revocation is documented in your medical records.
Wisconsin law protects health care workers on both sides of revocation. A provider who follows a DNR order in good faith cannot be held criminally or civilly liable. Likewise, a provider who fails to act on a revocation is protected as long as they had no actual knowledge the order had been revoked. And if a provider performs CPR because they didn’t know a DNR order existed or genuinely believed it had been revoked, they face no legal consequences either. These protections apply to physicians, EMS practitioners, emergency medical responders, and emergency health care facilities.
How a DNR Fits With Other Advance Directives
Think of Wisconsin’s end-of-life planning documents as layers. A Power of Attorney for Health Care is the broadest: it covers every health care decision if you’re incapacitated. A living will is narrower, focused on life-sustaining treatment when you’re terminally ill or in a vegetative state. A DNR order is the most specific, addressing only CPR in an emergency.
You can have all three, and in many cases it makes sense to. The DNR order is the only one that directly instructs EMS in the field. A living will or power of attorney sitting in a filing cabinet won’t stop paramedics from performing CPR. The bracelet and the signed F-44763 form are what bridge the gap between your long-term care wishes and what happens in the critical minutes of an emergency.