Advanced Directives In Healthcare

Advanced Directives Usage Who has the right to decide when to end life sustaining measures? Is it the individual, the health care provider, or the government? This has been an ongoing debate for many decades in the healthcare field. Advanced directives were suppose to be the simple solution to this dilemma. However, this simple solution has become very complicated and has evolved over the years. According to Watson et al. (2010) end-of-life care highlights the following issues: competency, persistent vegetative state, living wills, best interest standards. Oftentimes people, including nurses have a difficult time speaking about end-of-life care. Advanced directives should be a legal document that allows a person to decide their wishes about
Advanced directives has always been a controversial issue in health care. Everyone wants to talk about people getting better, but nobody wants to talk about death and dying. Watson et al. (2012), states that in the year of 1891, Supreme Court Justice Horace Gray recognized the essential right of self-determination: "No right is held more sacred, or is more carefully guarded, by common law, that the right of every individual to the possession and control of his own person, free from all restraint or interference of others, unless by clear and unquestionable authority of
It is important to educate healthcare staff about advanced directives. According to Jeong and Higgins and Mcmillan (2010) "In hospital setting, not surprisingly, people do not want to talk about end-of-life care plans at the commencement of a life-threatening illness". This may be a result of fear of rejection, lack of knowledge, or conflict with the patient or family. When the staff has appropriate knowledge of advanced directives they can clear up any myths or concerns that patients or family members may have. Healthcare workers face many ethical and legal issues when it comes to advanced directives. Many healthcare workers worry about the consequences of following advanced directives, especially since laws vary from state to state. According to Watson et al. (2012) if the healthcare staff is able to follow an advance directives in ''good faith'', they won't be a subject to criminal or civil liability, and it is followed in all 50 states, however, failure to implement an advance directive may result in liability of health care provider for possible