Advance directives in oncology: are they useful?
This paper discusses advance directives from the point of view of advanced directives: living wills, enduring power of attorney and combined instruments. They are discussed from the point of view of patients, the health-care teams and the public. It stresses the need for adequate information before such an instrument can be binding and suggests that enunciating goals is the most important task.
Grennan
Tim
T
Kaiser Permanente, Sacramento, California 95825, USA. tim.grennan@kp.org
D016223:Advance Directives / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003142:Communication; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D016224:Living Wills / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D019727:Proxy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D014481:United States