Advanced Directives An Underutilized Means Of...

Advanced Directives: An Underutilized Means of Communicating One’s End of Life Wishes Imagine having to make the decision to take a loved one off a ventilator or to remove a tube feeding. You might find yourself thinking, what would they want? Would they want to live in a nursing home, connected to â€Å"tubes,† possibly without a means to communicate or care for themselves? How would they define â€Å"quality of life†? Have you ever discussed with them what their wishes are if they are unable to speak for themselves? Have they discussed it with family or friends? Did they write their wished down anywhere? Would it make the decision easier if you knew your loved one’s wishes? Can you feel the stress, anxiety, and dread overcoming you?†¦show more content†¦Advanced directives (ADs) are an effective method of communicating one’s preferences for end of life care, but they are often underutilized. Advance Directives allow an individua l to state his or her personal end of life health care choices in advance of an incapacitation illness or injury. According to U.S. Living Will Registry (2015), there are two types of directives: 1) A Living Will, a legal document in which an individual states the kind of health care they want or don’t want under certain circumstances. 2) A Health Care Proxy (or durable health care power of attorney) is a legal document in which an individual names a person to make medical decisions for them in the event they become incapacitated. In 1976, the landmark case of Karen Quinlan established the right to refuse medical care on the basis of the right to privacy (McGowen, 2011, p. 64). Karen Quinlan’s parents requested that their 21 year old daughter be removed from mechanical ventilation after she was deemed to be in a persistent vegetative state after mixing a strict diet, drugs, and alcohol. The physician refused to remove life sustaining treatment despite Karen’s persistent vegetative state, as she did not meet the criteria for brain death. The case was appealed to the New Jersey Supreme Court where