An advance medical directive is a legal document that allows a person to state what they want for their own medical care if they are unable to make decisions for themselves due to incapacity.
In Virginia, advance medical directives are authorized under the Virginia Health Care Decisions Act.
An Advance Medical Directive may be used to:
Without an Advanced Medical Directive and a Living Will, you run the following risks:
If you do not have any type of advance directive, the decision to withdraw treatment will be made by your family, your doctor and the hospital. If an agreement cannot be reached between these parties, a court may have to resolve the conflict.
The DNR is a written order issued by a physician to withhold cardiopulmonary resuscitation for the patient in the event of cardiac or respiratory arrest.
A DNR is not an Advanced Medical Directive. Unlike an AMD, a DNR order requires a physician’s signature, along with the patient and two witnesses.
In certain cases the Advance Directive can be oral but a DNR cannot. While the DNR must be written, it can be revoked by the patient verbally.
If you are not hospitalized, you can complete a Virginia DNR form that alerts EMS who respond to emergencies at home, in hospice facilities, or elsewhere.
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