Advanced Directives

What are the different types of advance directives?

There are two types of advanced directives; there is the physician directive and durable power of the attorney for health care.

What are their strengths and weaknesses?

The physician directive is termed to as the living will and it is not binding (web). The person who is living will be allowed to make their options with regard to the terminal state and another instance that would bring about death that the physician has no control over or cure. They ought to allow dying with no medical involvement with just comfort procedures applied. This is however a hard choice as family members finds it hard to go with this choice. The durable power of the Attorney for Health Care makes it possible for the person to decide for a person to act in their place if they become incapacitated. Options are offered by issuing instances and taking into consideration the desires of the patient in such situations in coming times (Mitty EL, and Ramsey, 2008). This may become hard for people who do not have people to act for them.

Should an advance directive be mandatory and, if so, what type of directive?

The two directives should not mandatory, the patients are however advice to take advantage of them. With the patient’s involvement in matters concerning their health, they will hence be more responsive to their desires. They are able to take the directive that is affordable to them.

What ethical theories support the creation and execution of an advance directive?

The advanced directive team has to have a method that it can handle ethical matters and the right to accept or decline care. Ethical decision making is the procedure for setting up a decision in the context of ethics in a certain instance. Ethics are what one believes to be the correct form of behavior. Health care organizations are encouraged to abide by accreditation. In organizational ethics, ethical trends are and review procedures are handled (web). The hospitals are also encouraged to abide by the right of the patient. Other ethical theories that uphold the application of advanced directives include upholding the right to decline treatment, to uphold an individual’s freedom, to develop the person’s decision making process and it tends to limit disagreement within the family.

References

Mitty EL, Ramsey G. (2008). Advance directives. In: Capezuti E, Zwicker D, Mezey M, Fulmer T (eds). Evidence-Based Geriatric Nursing Protocols for Best Practice. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company. Summary retrieved from National Guideline Clearinghouse at http://www.guidelines.gov/content.aspx?id=12264.

web, M. (n.d.). The Cruzan Case and Advanced_Directives. Retrieved July 23, 2012, from http://web.missouri.edu/~bondesonw/ME_Advanced_Directives.ppt