Advanced Directives
By giving advance directives, you can tell your physician and family about the medical care you would like to receive and whether you want another person to be able to make treatment decisions for you, in case you are unable to make your wishes known. You can name a person to make medical treatment decisions for you by designating them as your health care surrogate. This person is allowed to make health care decisions for you, including life support decisions, but only after your physician certifies that you are no longer able to make your own health care decisions.
You can also create advance directives for treatment decisions by executing a living will. A living will tells your physician and family about the types of procedures and life support that you want provided or withheld, in case you are ever unable to make those decisions at the time of need. If you already have a living will or a health care surrogate, please tell your physician and the hospital. Copies of these document must go into the medical chart to ensure that your wishes are honored. If you want more information on how to complete an advance directive, please feel free to ask your physician, your nurse or your attorney.
Another form of advance directive is the Do Not Resuscitate order (DNR). A DNR order, when entered by the patient’s physician, means that cardiopulmonary resuscitation will not be attempted to restore heart or lung function in a patient where heart or lung arrest has occurred or is believed to be imminent. Each patient and surrogate decision-maker should fully discuss his or her wishes concerning DNR orders with the attending physician. A complete copy of the policy is available upon request.