Institute:Office of National Coordinator (ONC) Workforce Training Curriculum
Component:The Culture of Health Care
Unit:Ethics and Professionalism
Lecture:Contemporary topics in medical ethics
Slide content:Arguments about Advance Directives Pros Cons Preserves patient autonomy May lead to undertreatment Prevents waste of resources May be motivated by fear Helps family know patients wishes Can waste providers time 8.8 Table: Pros and cons of advance directives ( CC BY-NC-SA , 2012). 12
Slide notes:One of the arguments in support of advance directives is that they help preserve patient autonomy. In addition, its argued that they can help prevent the waste of limited health care resources. Furthermore, proponents say that advance directives can help family members know the patients wishes and help provide the family with peace of mind. Opponents of advance directives say that directives may make health care providers limit care inappropriately, leading to denying a patient potentially beneficial treatment. In addition, its argued that some people are motivated by fear when writing a living will and therefore give unrealistic instructions. For example, they may underestimate their ability to handle pain or disability, or they may underestimate what their own will to live would be. Its also argued that powers of attorney can waste health care providers time. For example, health care professionals may need to spend time finding the person who is designated to make decisions. 12