The Advance Health Care Directive Discussion
The Advance Health Care Directive Discussion
Field Activity Paper
Healthcare advance directives refer to the legal documents that individuals use to communicate concerning their healthcare decisions if they are in situations where they cannot make informed decisions. The two main advance directives in a healthcare setting include the Power of Attorney and the Living Will. According to (Bond et al., 2020)The Advance Health Care Directive Discussion, the attorney’s healthcare powers happen when an individual cannot make decisions on their health. The living will contain an advanced expression of an individual’s preferences and instructions concerning future medical treatments, more so, the end-of-life care when such an individual loses the capacity to engage in healthcare decision-making. The paper will evaluate three areas of advance directives: the advance health care directive, physician orders for life-sustaining treatment (POLST) form, and summary and conclusion.
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Part 1: The Advance Health Care Directive
Florida’s advance health care directive was obtained from the e-forms website. The AD is under the state’s law, where its signing requires a maximum of two witnesses, and its under Statute, Chapter 765, which covers the Health Care Advance Directives (AD) section. Like in other states, Florida’s AD has both the Power of Attorney and Living Will. The Advance Health Care Directive Discussion
Hence, when filling out the form, the whole exercise took place in a step-by-step format, thus enabling one to focus thus preventing instances of confusion. That is because the individual needed to fill all the blank spaces by providing the necessary information. For instance, in the Power for Attorney section, the areas that require one to fill are providing one’s name and age. Also, the individual is mandated to select a health care surrogate and, in most cases, an alternate surrogate that will make decisions concerning the principal party’s health well-being when such a principal individual cannot make and communicate their wishes to the medical providers (Bond et al., 2020)The Advance Health Care Directive Discussion. In such a case, the necessary details are well illustrated, including the surrogate’s name or the alternate surrogate. However, they are placed in different subsections, the Principal’s relationship with the surrogate or the alternative surrogate and their address and phone numbers, both home and work phone numbers, for easier access. The same case applies when filling in the section for Living Will section since the Principal requires to fill in the blank spaces to make the end-of-life treatment options. It is important to note other areas within the section labeled “Specify Other Condition,” where the Principal’s status will determine if other factors need to be discussed. Later, the documents end up with the Principal and the Witnesses issuing their signatures to complete the document.
The document ensures that the user uses the most convenient language they need their Living Will to exist in for convenience. Hence, it becomes easy for the Principal to understand all the terms and conditions, thus encouraging the observation of the autonomous ethical Principal. For instance, in the Living Will, the Principal states that if certain medical events occur, they would want to withhold treatment and restrain the healthcare providers from prolonging their life through various medical interventions (Bond et al., 2020). Consequently, in the Power of Attorney section, the form enables the principal individual to select someone who acknowledges their medical treatment preferences and can make informed decisions when necessary. Therefore, in the section where one must fill in the Power of Attorney details, one writes down a declaration and provides an individual name that will take charge of their medical decisions once they become incapacitated. However, the most important factor to note when filling this section is that one has to state the relationship one has with the surrogate to ensure that principal individual health safety is safeguarded. In that case, it is advisable to use close family members such as parents, siblings, or even spouses to act as surrogates or alternative surrogates for safety and quality decision-making.
It is also evident that the form increases patient safety and quality of care probability. That is evidenced by the fact that the paperwork is not complete and valid until the principal individual signs it with two witnesses. In that case, Florida requires that at least one witness should not be a beneficiary related to the Principal or an individual that works within the healthcare organization that the Principal patronizes, like the insurance companies, healthcare organizations, or doctors (Bond et al., 2020)The Advance Health Care Directive Discussion. From knowledge, such a law is essential to avoid risking the patient’s health and well-being from people that may compromise the patient’s overall well-being. However, the main challenges existed in using initials to describe the phone numbers subsection since it was hard to note that (W) means Work phone number while (H) means home phone number. But with the directives of a healthcare provider, the process can be a bit easier and less strenuous.
Part 2: Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Form
POLST forms were initiated in 1991 by a medical ethicist group and other integrated stakeholders to coordinate end-of-life care services with patients’ preferences (Ly & Block, 2021). They are intended to enhance advance directives and are only suitable for individuals who are seriously ill or physically weak. These forms account for decisions made with the person’s current diagnosis, enabling patients to document if they wish to receive certain treatments, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, artificial feeding, mechanical ventilation, and antibiotics. POLSTs forms are attained from the medical provider converses with their patients (Ly & Block, 2021)The Advance Health Care Directive Discussion. Once the designated provider signs the form, they automatically become medical orders that the emergency medical technicians cannot ignore. Hence, patients must carry these forms whenever they visit healthcare organizations.
Part 3: Summary and Conclusion
The POLST form should never be referred to as the advance directive or its replacement. However, both the POLST and advance directives are essential to patients and healthcare providers since they offer advanced care insight concerning patients’ needs and preferences, especially when a patient is in a complicated situation (Ly & Block, 2021). The main difference between the two documents is that the advance directive form uses the Power of Attorney to appoint individuals that can make decisions on their behalf once they are incapacitated to make informed healthcare decisions. The same case applies to Living Will, where individuals indicate their will that the medical team can use to make better decisions. On the other hand, the POLST form engages a set of medical requirements that covers a limited patient population and addresses a few critical medical decisions (Ly & Block, 2021)The Advance Health Care Directive Discussion.
That is because the POLST form is intended to act as an advance directive complement essential, thus being a care assurance continuity and a translational tool. However, in both forms, they ensure that patient autonomy and ethical principle is observed since the patient is involved in making all these decisions. Therefore, Registered Nurses usually possess a great role in understanding patient autonomy (Jacobs, 2019). As a result, if the Principal is willing to undergo life-prolonging procedures like chemotherapy, and resuscitation, among other procedures, in case of a terminal illness, the RNs have to consider the forms to increase the patients’ healthcare safety and quality of care. In conclusion, individuals should consider filling up the advance directive and POLST forms to facilitate effective care coordination, particularly during an emergency.
References
Bond, W. F., Kim, M., Franciskovich, C. M., Weinberg, J. E., Svendsen, J. D., Fehr, L. S., … & Asche, C. V. (2018). Advance care planning in an accountable care organization is associated with increased advanced directive documentation and decreased costs. Journal of palliative medicine, 21(4), 489-502. https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2017.0566
Jacobs, G. (2019). Patient autonomy in home care: Nurses’ relational practices of responsibility. Nursing ethics, 26(6), 1638-1653. https://doi.org/10.1177/09697330187720
Ly, D. T., & Block, A. J. (2021). Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment: The Clinical Nurse Specialist Can Help With That. Clinical Nurse Specialist, 35(4), 161-163. doi: 10.1097/NUR.0000000000000609
This paper will have three parts addressing two important pieces of legislation related to the right of individuals to make health care decisions for themselves. The Advance Health Care Directive Discussion
Part I
The Advance Health Care Directive
Locate a copy of an advanced directive (AD) that complies with the laws of the state in which you work. The organization in which you work should have a copy of an advance directive that is given to patients. If not, download your state’s Advance Directives here http://www.caringinfo.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3289.Links to an external site.
Complete the advance directive for yourself. Do not turn in your AD with your paper. The AD is for your personal use.
In your paper, Part I:
1. Identify where you obtained the AD and explain its compliance with state law.
2. Conduct research (1-2 sources) to learn more about the AD in your state and explain how it works.
3. Discuss how easy or difficult it was to complete the AD. Your comments should be specific and both objective and subjective. For example, when you state your personal feelings, you must relate them to the literature (textbook and research) that discusses this process and the difficulties that many people face when completing an advance directive.
(Cite/ reference any sources you use to explore these questions, including your texts.) The Advance Health Care Directive Discussion
Part II
Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Form
1. What is a Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form Links to an external site.?
2. When should this form be completed?
3. Who can complete the form?
4. Who needs to sign the form to make it a legal document?
(Cite/reference any sources you use to explore these questions, including your texts.) The Advance Health Care Directive Discussion
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Part III
Tie the two first sections together by writing a summary and conclusion.
This section should address:
1. the differences between an Advance Health Care Directive and the POLST,
2. the RN’s important role in assuring the patient’s right to autonomy in choosing the healthcare interventions the patient does or does not want.
Use current APA Style.
The paper should be between 3-5 pages in length excluding the title and reference page(s).
Cite and reference the course text and at least two (2) additional appropriate professional sources.
Review the rubric for further information on how your assignment will be graded. The Advance Health Care Directive Discussion