Since the mid-1970s, a great deal of attention has been focused on advance or prospective health care planning as a way for individuals to maintain some control over their future medical treatment even if they eventually become physically and/or mentally unable to make and express important decisions about their own care. Proponents of advance care planning also claim that it may help individuals and their families avoid court involvement in medical treatment decisions, conserve limited health care resources in a way that is consistent with patient autonomy or self-determination, and reduce the emotional or psychological stress on family or friends in difficult crisis situations.
There are two main legal mechanisms available for use in prospective (i.e., before-the-fact) health care planning. One is the proxy directive, ordinarily in the form of a durable power of attorney (DPOA), while the second is the instruction directive, usually referred to as a living will, health care...
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Suggested Reading
American Medical Association Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs. (1998). Optimal use of orders not to intervene and advance directives. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 4, 668–675.
King, N. M. P. (1996). Making sense of advance directives (rev. ed.). Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Ulrich, L. P. (1999). The patient self-determination act: Meeting the challenges in patient care. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
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© 2004 Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers
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Kapp, M.B. (2004). Advance Directives. In: Encyclopedia of Women’s Health. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-306-48113-0_20
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-306-48113-0_20
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