Advanced Directives, Essay Example

An advance directive is an important legal document that expresses the desired wishes of a competent individual concerning his/her health preference. If the individual were to become incapacitated, health care officials would have access to make choices in a timely manner. Advance directives are a great tool for persons who entering into an end of life situation. Many facilities that have switched to HER are also using this system to access advance directives. For example, “Generally, online registries are designed to allow access in two ways: registrant-controlled access and provider-controlled access. In registrant-controlled access, the registrant is given a user name and password for accessing his or her documents. This account access information is printed on an item, such as a wallet card, that is carried by the registrant. When health care providers encounter a 7 registrant-patient, they use the registrant’s access information to enter the registry and obtain the registered documents” (Bernal et al, 2007   ). During the media coverage of Terri Schiavo’s death, many experts conveyed that if she had had a written directive, things would have gone much differently. In the United States, laws give authority to the spouse to make decisions about their incapacitated spouse. Some states allow patients to orally designate someone to make decisions when the healthcare treatment begins, but the designation is only in effect during that particular illness or the patient’s stay at the facility. Many people never designate advance directives because they don’t believe they will ever need them. While others just refuse to think about it. By not discussing it, they believe they are avoiding such issues. If something were to happen, the next of kin is usually the one to make decisions about what happens to the patient. If the patient is married, it is usually the spouse. If the person is not married, the parents usually make decisions for him/her. Having an advance directive is important, not just for the patient, but for family members as well. Often family members believe that they know what the person wants and this causes disagreement within the family.

References

Bernal, E. W., Marco, C. A., Parkins, A., Buderer, N., & Thum, D. (2007). End-of-life decisions: Family views on advance directives. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, 24(4), 300-307.

Blackaby, H & R. (2001). Moving People on to God’s Agenda Spiritual Leadership. Nashville, TN. B& H publishing group.