Health Care Directive

A health care directive is a document in which a person (referred to as the "patient") grants authority to another person (referred to as the "patient advocate") to make medical decisions on their behalf. A health care directive is only effective after a patient is no longer capable of making medical decisions on their own. A patient advocate must follow the patient's wishes with respect to medical treatment and withdrawal of life support. A health care directive is sometimes called a "living will".