This survey of nurse leaders at academic medical centers found great variation in the method used to document patients' do-not-resuscitate (DNR) status. Documentation could be found in the paper chart or electronic medical record, by means of a color-coded wristband, or combinations of these sources. Multiple wristband colors were used to indicate DNR status at different hospitals. This lack of standardization has been recognized as a patient safety problem, and resources exist to create standardized wristbands. The authors call for development of national standards for DNR documentation.