advance directive

Meaning of advance directive: An advance directive is completed while a person can still decide, stating what medical treatment to give or withhold if that ability is later lost.

Definition of advance directive

An advance directive is a legal document that states a person's wishes about medical treatment in the event that illness or injury later leaves that person unable to make or communicate decisions directly. It is prepared and signed while the person retains full decision making capacity, so that those wishes are known in advance.

Advance directives generally take one of two forms, and a single document may combine both. A living will sets out specific instructions about which treatments, such as mechanical ventilation or artificial nutrition, should be given or withheld in particular circumstances. A durable power of attorney for healthcare, also called a healthcare proxy, instead names another person to make medical decisions on the individual's behalf.

A do-not-resuscitate order is a related but separate document, a specific medical order about resuscitation completed with a clinician, which may accompany a broader advance directive without being identical to it. Advance directives help guide family members and clinicians when a person can no longer state preferences directly.