Paper Example on Advance Directives

Introduction

The advance directive is the legal document where an individual determines the medical option they prefer to be carried out when they are not able to make the decision. In the document, another person can be given the power of attorney to determine the health cause which should be taken in regard to the health of a person. The document is necessary as it helps in securing the health of a person in cases of incapacity.

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The advance directives were made to respond to the increased sophistication and medical technology prevalence. Various studies on healthcare services provided to the patients show that there are critical deficits in the provision of care especially to the dying patients (King, 2014). Such patients have been exposed to unnecessary prolonged pain, expensive care and emotional burden to the patient and their loved ones.

The advance directive is found in different forms, for instance, the living will, which is the oldest form of the directive. The initial proposition was made by Luis Kutner in 1969. It was drawn from the property affairs on who was supposed to control the property of a person after their death. It was developed by some people when critically ill could not be able to make the decisions on the health approach. The will of a living person was made where a person would make a decision but would not execute it. It led to the Patient Self-Determination Act formation in the United States in 1991. Through the Act, the healthcare providers were required to provide information to the patients on the rights they had to make an advance directive (Obidos, 2015).

The will is meant to provide directives on the treatment approaches that should be used by the caregivers and providers. There are some cases where the living will forbid the application of different medical treatments. The document helps also understand some other medical care methods such as using tubes, as well as water and food (Lack, Biller-Andorno, and Brauer, 2013). The advance directive, however, even if available is not used all the time. When the patient can still give informed consent, they are allowed to decide the medical approach that should be used. There are some patients who ensure that the directives are completely specific such as on the pain relievers that should be used (Matzo and Sherman, 2015).

However, the lack of the existing medical approaches can mislead the patients on different aspects. A patient cannot make a decision unless they are aware of the existing medical approaches that are used to treat the medical condition they have. Some people are not aware of their rights and they end up making the wrong decisions or may be duped into giving the right of the attorney to a person who may be having other interests. Despite the implementation of the 1990 Patient Self-Determination Act, the problem was not completely addressed and more awareness required to be created on the rights of the patients (Cebuhar, 2015).

Conclusion

In conclusion, some patients are neglected or treated using healthcare approaches that the patients feel that they ineffective. It mostly happens in the palliative care where the patient is almost dying. At times the family members end up making the wrong decisions concerning the medical care of a patient. Through the living will, a patient is able to give direction to the medical attention they should be given even during the critical conditions.

References

Cebuhar, J. K. (2015). 2015 Edition - The Practical Guide to Health Care Advance Directives.Murphy Publishing.

King, N. M. P. (2014). Making Sense of Advance Directives. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.

Lack, P., Biller-Andorno, N., &Brauer, S. (2013). Advance Directives. Dordrecht: Springer.

Matzo, M., & Sherman, D. W. (2015).Palliative care nursing: Quality care to the end of life. New York: Springer Publishing Company.

Obidos, C. (2015). Attitudes toward and knowledge of advance directives: A quantitative study.