Table 1. Themes.

Theme	Content
Preventing harm to patients	Saving lives as a guiding principle Conceptualising harm to include severe hypoxic brain damage or an undignified death
Best interests	Assessing the patient’s ability to benefit Considering non-clinical factors, such as age and quality of life Considering the patient’s previously expressed wishes
Caring for the patient’s family	Communicating clearly with the patient’s family and involving them in decisions Caring for the patient’s family’s emotional well-being Prioritising the patient’s best interests over the family’s wishes
Moral distress	Performing resuscitation-related interventions to follow the guidelines, despite feeling it would be futile and/or undignified Asserting the importance of guidelines despite the risk of moral distress