Educating Our Patients about Advance Directives

Recently, a highly publicized case in Florida brought the subject of advance directives to the forefront in the United States. Weeks of extraordinary legal wrangling, attempts to obtain various court orders, and family conflict became very public examples of what can happen in the absence of written advance directives. It appears, however, that some good has already come of this very sad situation: increased public awareness of the importance of advance directives and greater understanding of the scope of the powers such documents can afford patients who are chronically ill or dying.