medical directive

A specific and comprehensive advance care document developed for a person which addresses and tries to anticipate that person’s health care needs at the end of his life

Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

medical directive

End-of-life decisions A specific and comprehensive advance care document–being developed for health care at the end of life. See Advance directive, Durable power of attorney, Living will.

Medical Directive–optimal components  

Introduction Provides an explanation of the document's purpose

Paradigmatic scenarios Provides examples that help the individual understand various illness circumstances and evaluate the types of life-sustaining interventions that might be employed; the PSs would–in theory–help the individual designate his/her preferences with respect to specific treatments

Proxy decision-maker Section provides details on who would make the decisions in the event of the individual becoming mentally incompetent

Organ donation Yes/no, what, to whom, for what

Personal statement The individual's 'wrap-up'

McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.