Legal Advisor: Advance Directives

Conclusion

By taking the time to complete a health care proxy in advance of an illness or injury, patients can express their preferences for medical treatment. this will not only ensure the patients’ wishes are fulfilled, but relieve family members from the burden of making difficult, uninformed decisions. When a patient does not have a health care proxy, a health care provider may rely on the informed consent of parties responsible for the incapacitated patients as provided by law.

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