Advance Directives Health Article

Definition

An advance directive is a written document in which people clearly specify how medical decisions affecting them are to be made if they are unable to make them, or to authorize a specific person to make such decisions for them.

Description

Advance directives are recognized in most industrialized countries of the world. In the United States, by law, the creation of an advance directive is the right of all competent adults. The goal of this legislation is to empower all health care consumers to make their own judgments regarding medical decision-making, to approve of potential treatment they believe they would want, and to refuse care they do not perceive as being in their best interest. These directives are generally divided into living wills or durable powers of attorney.

Federal law requires that all health care providers (health maintenance organizations, or HMOs, skilled nursing care facilities, hospices, home health care providers, and hospitals) make information regarding advance directives available to all people in their care. Many states require that two people witness such advance directives.

Living wills

Living wills go into effect while the individual is still living, but is unable to communicate his/her wishes regarding care. Traditionally, a living will has specified the individual's wishes concerning procedures that would sustain life if he/she were terminally ill. Newer advance directives do not limit such preferences to terminal illness but instead go into effect whenever the individual is unable to speak for him/herself.

There are several ways of preparing a living will. Sometimes a preprinted form is provided, or people may create their own form, or may simply write down their wishes. Though all 50 states and the District of Columbia recognize the validity of advance directives, each state's laws have differences as to whether one or all of these types of preparation of the document are legal and binding in that state. It is recommended that people speak to their attorney or physician to ensure that their wishes are carried out.

Durable power of attorney for health care

A durable power of attorney for health care is the second type of advance directive. This is a signed, dated, and witnessed document that authorizes a designated person (usually a family member or close friend) to act as an agent, or proxy. This empowers the proxy to make medical decisions for a person when the person is deemed unable to make these decisions him/herself. Such a power of attorney frequently includes the person's stated preferences in regard to treatment. Several states do not allow any of the following people to act as a person's proxy:

• the person's physician, or other health care provider
• the staff of health care facilities that is providing the person's care
• guardians (often called conservators) of the person's financial affairs
• employees of federal agencies financially responsible for a person's care
• any person that serves as agent or proxy for 10 people or more

As in the case of living wills, regulations regarding such powers of attorney vary from state to state. Some states provide printed forms, and require witnesses, while other states do not.

Causes

As medical advances provide greater than ever means of extending life, it becomes increasingly important for people to evaluate which of the available means they would wish used. If this is not done, people run the risk of having health care providers make critical decisions regarding their care. The absence of advance directive information can also create dilemmas and increased stress for loved ones. Some of the terms describing now-routine medical interventions that can maintain life under dire circumstances include:

• cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the use of chest compressions and/or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to restart heart beat and/or respirations
• ventilators or respirators that physically deliver oxygen via a tube into the windpipe when the lungs are unable to work on their own
• Life-sustaining care encompasses the use of machinery or equipment that prolongs life by keeping the body functioning. Examples of life-sustaining care include hyperalimentation, tube feedings, and kidney dialysis.

In contrast, life-enhancing care, sometimes referred to as Care and Comfort Only, involves the provision of high quality, but non-heroic medical care until death occurs naturally. Important examples of life-enhancing care include administration and monitoring of medications, carrying out other measures to control pain, comfort measures such as bathing and massage, and offering food and fluids.