title: Understanding Pennsylvania living wills: the 5 Ws.
abstract: The working world of nurses is often filled with deep-running emotions and physical exhaustion as we care for our dying patients. We feel the need to step back and gain perspective when faced with a dying patient, or more appropriately, a dying person. We must also keep in mind the family of the dying who may have similar feelings. It is nearly impossible to be a nurse and not have to care for a dying patient; thus, we often find ourselves dealing with living wills. The living will is the more common of the two forms of an advance directive; the other is the durable power of attorney for healthcare. Since living wills are so common, and laws about them vary from state-to-state, it is important for the professional nurse in Pennsylvania to understand how living wills work in our state. This may best be approached by considering the 5 Ws related to living wills.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, California University of Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Linda L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Pina
mesh_terms: D024362:Advance Directive Adherence / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D004282:Documentation; D006801:Humans; D016224:Living Wills / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D016743:Mental Competency / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D024802:Nurse's Role; D010414:Pennsylvania; D012297:Right to Die / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence