By asking a doctor discuss end of life care, are you asking that doctor to...

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pdooma

New member
...act as your lawyer? And should doctors take that risk upon themselves? Advance directives, DNRs, durable power of attorney and living wills are not exactly medical documents, but rather legal documents. And the laws regarding them differ by State. Should doctors be the ones to give this kind of advice? Or should someone see an attorney to discuss this area?
 
This is an interesting question. The end-of-life care provision was suggested by a Republican congressman who, I believe, had dealt with his own aged mother's wishes. Doctors traditionally ask a close relative (spouse or life partner, for example) if someone severely injured (and unable to speak for him/herself) wants heroic measures taken to prolong life (the Shaivo case comes to mind). When there is no Living Will, the decision is oftentime guesswork for relatives, who may not be privy to the patient's wishes. Some people like to have a Living Will before anything is actually wrong, just to be certain their wishes are documented should anything catastrophic occur. All the provision allows for is that doctors who participate in a consult with patients to discuss end-of-life options be paid for this participation. The patient gets to choose preferred options on their own, contrary to what right-wing extremists would have us think. Supposedly, the doctors are simply sharing a full list of options in a noncommital way, so that the patient is made fully aware of all possible choices available (like hospice, or in-home care instead of a hospital stay), and then answering any questions the patient might have without coercion or bias. Would a Notary be sufficient to authenticate the Living Will?
 
No, they shouldn't. By the time someone needs that sort of advice, they're in a dire situation. Emotions can cloud those issues and force people to take measures they haven't thought through.
 
No, you are asking them to cut healthcare costs by advocating DNRs and the absence of life saving measures. You are in fact asking them to sell death to the American public. You are asking them to act as an advocate in favor of the system and not on behalf of the patient.

As a long-term care ombudsman, this is an outrage! Doctors are not unbiased advocates. Anyone who has ever been denied care due to a lack of coverage can attest to that!
 
No. You are asking the doctor for the pertinent medical information. Any half-descent doctor would direct you to a lawyer from there.
 
A doctor can explain what medical options you would have under different situations. Of course they should be involved. The lawyers write the stuff up in their legalese. My first living will was made at a lawyers office with him making suggestions in wording. I eventually spoke to both my sister (a nurse) and my doctor and modified the document.

I also have spoken to my family about what I would and would not want done, so I feel pretty good about my death :)
 
For years, when an elderly patient enters the hospital, they are ask to fill out advance directives such as whether the patient wants life saving measures taken beyond the normal treatment. All of this paperwork must be filled out if the patient is conscious and has their mental faculties. If not, the family is asked to answer some of these questions. This paperwork is kept on file at the hospital. Both of my parents who died in their 80's dealt with this. It is nothing new. A nurse presented it to them.
 
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