Advanced Directive and Do not Resuscitate Orders Explained

An advanced directive outlines what wishes your doctor must follow if you become unable to make your own medical decisions. When you`re admitted to the hospital usually the staff will ask you if you have an advance directive, or you can hand your doctor and hospital staff a copy yourself if they don’t ask.

An ideal advance directive would be to describe the kind of treatment you would want depending on how sick you are at the time. Also, an advance directive is made to describe what to do if you have an illness that you most likely have no chance to recover from, or if your in a coma what kind of care you wish. The most important thing on an advance directive is what you don’t want your doctor to do otherwise a doctor will usually do everything in his power he feels is necessary. However it works both ways, you can demand certain treatments no matter how ill you become.