An Advance Directive is a legal document that allows individuals to express their healthcare preferences and wishes regarding medical treatment in the event they become unable to communicate or make decisions for themselves. Also known as a living will or healthcare directive, it typically outlines instructions for medical care, including preferences for life-sustaining treatments, resuscitation, organ donation, and palliative care. Advance Directives empower individuals to maintain control over their medical treatment and relieve family members and healthcare providers from the burden of making difficult decisions during times of incapacitation. These documents are legally binding and vary in form and requirements depending on jurisdiction.
Advance Directive: Noun 1. A legal document that allows an individual to express their preferences and instructions regarding medical treatment and end-of-life care in the event that they become unable to communicate or make decisions for themselves. 2. A written statement that outlines an individual’s wishes regarding medical interventions, resuscitation, life-sustaining treatments, and organ donation, serving as a guide for healthcare professionals and family members when making decisions on behalf of the individual. 3. A document that empowers individuals to maintain control over their healthcare decisions, ensuring that their values, beliefs, and desires are respected and followed, even when they are no longer capable of expressing them. 4. A comprehensive document that may include a living will, durable power of attorney for healthcare, do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order, and other specific instructions, providing clear guidance to healthcare providers and loved ones during critical medical situations. Example sentence: “By completing an advance directive, the patient ensured that their wishes for end-of-life care would be honoured, even if they were unable to communicate their preferences.”
A written statement expressing a person’s wishes for medical treatment should that person become incapacitated due to illness or serious injury and is no longer able to make his or her own decisions. Advance directives, which are governed on a state-by-state basis, fall into two categories: Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney.
An advance directive is a legal document that allows individuals to express their healthcare preferences and make decisions about their medical treatment in the event they become unable to communicate or make decisions for themselves. It typically includes instructions regarding the use of life-sustaining treatments, such as resuscitation, artificial nutrition, and hydration, as well as the appointment of a healthcare proxy or agent to make decisions on their behalf. Advance directives are recognized and regulated by state laws, and their validity and enforceability may vary depending on the jurisdiction. These documents are important tools for ensuring that an individual’s wishes are respected and followed when they are unable to make healthcare decisions.
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This glossary post was last updated: 29th March, 2024.
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