Advance directives.Upon admission to a hospital, a patient is asked if s(he) has an Advance Directive Advance Directive A document expressing a person's wishes about critical care when he or she is unable to decide for him or herself. However, it does not authorize anyone to act on a person's behalf or make decisions the way a power of attorney would. . Many patients do not and ask the nurse what it is and why they should have one. As health care professionals we must be able to answer those questions. An Advance Directive is a means for a person to direct the health care they wish to receive, in the event that they are not able to speak for themselves. Advance Care Planning is a process which should include preparation of a document to give written expression to the wishes of the patient. There are several forms that the directive may take. States determine which formats are accepted within the state. South Carolina South Carolina, state of the SE United States. It is bordered by North Carolina (N), the Atlantic Ocean (SE), and Georgia (SW). Facts and Figures Area, 31,055 sq mi (80,432 sq km). Pop. (2000) 4,012,012, a 15. recognizes The South Carolina Health Care Power of Attorney and the Declaration of a Desire for a Natural Death. The Five Wishes document and other formats can be used as a Health Care Power of Attorney, if they are notarized. The Declaration of a Desire for a Natural Death (Living Will) also requires notarization, while the standard form of the Health Care Power of Attorney leaves notarization as optional. In the Health Care Power of Attorney, the person can name someone who can tell physicians and nurses what he wants to have done if he should be very ill and unable to communicate his wishes. This person is known as the proxy decision maker, agent or advocate. The person can also note whether he would wish to receive life sustaining treatment, artificial nutrition and/or hydration hydration /hy·dra·tion/ (hi-dra´shun) the absorption of or combination with water. hy·dra·tion n. 1. The addition of water to a chemical molecule without hydrolysis. 2. and whether he would wish his organs to be donated. Other preferences may be noted. Ideally, individuals, including nurses, should complete an Advance Directive before they become ill. Once the document is complete, it should be shared with the person who will be the agent and the physician. When a person is hospitalized, a copy of the document should be placed in the medical record. While it may seem premature to be planning for an eventuality that may never occur, expressing personal wishes while one is healthy is a way of assuring that family will know what is wanted and remove the burden of decision making from them. Serious illness can be an emotional time for patient and family. Decision making is likely to be more difficult during that time. Completing an Advance Directive is a gift we give ourselves and our loved ones loved ones npl → seres mpl queridos loved ones npl → proches mpl et amis chers loved ones love npl . SCNA SCNA Sun Certified Network Administrator SCNA Security Certified Network Architect SCNA South Carolina Nurses Association SCNA Saab Club of North America SCNA Southern California Naturist Association SCNA Sudden Cosmic Noise Absorption Ethics Committee ethics committee A multidisciplinary hospital body composed of a broad spectrum of personnel–eg, physicians, nurses, social workers, priests, and others, which addresses the moral and ethical issues within the hospital. See DNR, Institutional review board. Member Gail Crawford, APRN APRN Advanced Practice Registered Nurse BC |
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