Advance Directive

What is an Advance Directive

It is a written statement/document of a person’s wishes regarding his/her medical treatment. These documents are made to ensure those mentioned wishes are carried out should the person not be able to communicate. The four types of advance directives are Directive to Physicians and Family or Surrogates, Medical Power of Attorney, Out-of-Hospital Do-Not-Resuscitate Order and Declaration of Mental Health Treatment.

Understanding the four types of Advance Directives

The Directive to Physicians and Family or Surrogates allows you to specify for the provision, withdrawal or withholding of medical care in the event of a terminal or irreversible condition. This document is designed to help you communicate your wishes about medical treatment when you are unable to make wishes due to illness or injury. You may want to consider what burdens or hardships of treatment you would be willing to accept versus the amount of benefit obtained if you were seriously ill. It is important to discuss these wishes with your family or chosen spokesperson, physician/healthcare provider and medical institution.

The Medical Power of Attorney allows you to designate another person as your agent/spokesperson for making health care decisions if you become incompetent. It is important to note that you do not have to have a terminal or irreversible condition for a medical power of attorney to be used. This begins when your physician certifies that you lack the competence to make health care decisions. Your designee has the obligation to follow your instructions when making decisions on your behalf, if you have no instructions, they will have the same authority to make decisions about your health care as you would have had. You should inform the person you appoint to this role and discuss any wishes you may have, or other documents filed that would have your wishes included.

The Out-of-Hospital Do-Not-Resuscitate Order allows competent adults to refuse certain life-sustaining treatments, such as CPR, in non-hospital settings where health care professionals are called to assist, including hospital ERs and outpatient settings.

The Declaration of Mental Health Treatment document gives guidance to what types of mental health treatment you would want if you could not speak for yourself. This directive allows a court to determine when you become incapacitated, and when that declaration becomes effective.

What to do next?

Provide all of your health care providers, in each clinical practice you visit, a copy of your current directive. Request that your health care provider forward your advance directive to the Midland Memorial Hospital Medical Records Department to ensure it is on file. It can be sent to advancedirectives@midlandhealth.org. If you modify or revoke the directive, notify all of your health care providers.