Advance Directives
Advance Directives
All adult individuals in hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare settings have certain rights. You have the right to confidentiality of your personal medical records and to know what treatment you will receive. The following information can help you make decisions in advance of treatment.
It’s your right to make decisions about medical treatment.
Advance Directive
You have the right to complete a form, known as an “advance directive.” The form says in advance what kind of treatment you want or do not want under special, serious medical conditions that would prevent you from telling your doctor how you want to be treated. For example, if you were taken to a hospital in a coma, would you want the hospital’s medical staff to know your specific wishes about decisions affecting your treatment? An advance directive is generally a written statement, which you complete in advance of serious illness, communicating how you want medical decisions made.
The three most common forms of an advance directive are:
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Living will (directive to physicians)
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Appointment of a healthcare proxy
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Oklahoma do-not-resuscitate order
An advance directive allows you to state your choices for healthcare or to name someone to make those choices for you, if you become unable to make decisions about your medical treatment. In short, an advance directive can enable you to make decisions about your future medical treatment. You can say “yes” to treatment you want, or say “no” to treatment you do not want.