Advance directives have been widely promoted to benefit patients who are dealing with end-of-life care issues. Stated either as a Living Will or a Durable Power of Attorney or both, advance directives ensure that a patient’s wishes regarding life-sustaining interventions are followed, should they lose the ability to make health care decisions. Since the court cases of Quinlan in 1976 and Cruzan in 1990, in which both patients suffered as a result of “right to die” controversies, Congress passed the Patient Self-Determination Act of 1991 to increase societal awareness of advance directives (Crisp, 2007, p. 181). Furthermore, the Uniform Health Care Decisions Act approved in 1993 aimed to consolidate various state laws regarding adult health care decisions and durable powers of attorney (Appel, 2010, p. 417).
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The lack in utilization of advance directives calls for its mandated completion in the event that a patient is placed in an inpatient setting, however, maintains his or her decision-making capacity. This requirement is not only beneficial to the patient, but also to the patient’s family, the health care team, and the general society. This paper will, therefore, examine the advantages of the completion of advance directives, address concerns surrounding the proposal, and integrate ethical theories and principles and biblical relevance to support a much-needed stipulation in today’s healthcare
The lack in utilization of advance directives calls for its mandated completion in the event that a patient is placed in an inpatient setting, however, maintains his or her decision-making capacity. This requirement is not only beneficial to the patient, but also to the patient’s family, the health care team, and the general society. This paper will, therefore, examine the advantages of the completion of advance directives, address concerns surrounding the proposal, and integrate ethical theories and principles and biblical relevance to support a much-needed stipulation in today’s healthcare