Quote:
Originally Posted by retiredguy123
I don't have anything against preparing a living will, but I think the value of a living will is overstated. In most cases, the doctors will do what they think is correct regardless of what the living will says. In some cases, the living will can make a difference.
|
Respectfully, generally-speaking this is not true.
Patients over 18 yrs old (i.e., adults) who are MENTALLY COMPETENT (this is an important distinction) can refuse medical treatment, and legally the doctor/hospital is required to respect the person's wishes. In fact, patients can refuse to eat and drink (referred to as "VSED") and the hospital cannot force them to do otherwise or insert a feeding tube.
Are there instances where a doctor or hospital do procedures that go against a patient's wishes? Of course there are cases of this. Too often doctors feel like any other outcome other than saving a patient's life is "losing", and as doctors they've been trained to save lives. But generally speaking, they will honor your wishes, as long as the person is mentally competent and/or have friends/family members who are legally able to make medical decisions for the patient.
The larger problem is this--a patient is in the hospital and is unable to communicate their wishes. In this case the doctor / hospital will go into "CYA" (Cover Your Ass mode) and do everything medically possible to save the patients life, even if the patient is unlikely to recover and have a good quality of life afterwards.
I can't stress enough how important it is for EVERYONE--regardless of age--to have a Living Will / Advanced Directive form filled out (along with a DNR if you so wish) & have the original copy easily accessible. Likewise it's extremely important to have a friend or family member with Medical Power of Attorney over you who is able & willing to advocate for you & make sure that the doctors / hospital understand & follow your wishes. Of course in order for them (your POA) to be able to do that, you need to have a long & detailed conversation with them so that they actually know what you want & similarly do NOT want when it comes to medical directives.