7 Tips for Writing an Advance Directive

We never know when we may need hospitalization or unexpected medical care. One way to protect our individual rights as a patient is to have an advance directive in place.

An advance directive is a document that communicates to doctors the kind of care you want to have if you can’t make medical decisions for yourself. Advance directives provide direction on what you will allow physicians to do, and state what types of treatment you would not like to have. Doctors who receive a properly executed advance directive are obligated to honor its instructions or transfer your care to a physician who will honor the instructions.

Here are some considerations you should make in drafting your own advance directive:

• You should update your directive as new developments in medical technology and treatment become available, or write your directive in such a way that new treatments are not excluded.

• Most state laws presume people want relief from pain. If you do not want to receive pain medications, make that clear in your directive.

• If you want food and water either withheld or provided for, also state it in your advance directive.

• Consider the basic quality of life you require. You will need to think about whether you want life-prolonging treatments no matter what your quality of life would be. This is the most difficult part of writing an advanced directive—deciding what your wishes would be in various hypothetical situations.

• It may be helpful to talk to your doctor about your wishes as you draft your directive. They can likely advise you of situations you may not have considered.

• If you change your mind about anything in your advance directive, destroy all copies of old directives, and write a new one to avoid questions and arguments over which version to apply.

• Call a lawyer to ask for assistance in drafting a proper advance directive.