In: Nursing
Discuss the difference between a durable medical power of attorney
and a living will.
A healthcare power of attorney (HCPA) is a legal document that allows an individual to empower another person to make decisions about his or her medical care. A healthcare power of attorney refers to both a legal document and a specific person with legal authority. The holder of the HPCA should be a trustworthy person as he/she is the one who will make life death decisions on your behalf. They can communicate with the patient's doctors to prevent unwanted treatments and avoid making the wrong decisions. For example they have DNR (do not resuscitate) permission from the patient's side if they do not want to extend the patient's life.
Living wills and other advance directives are written, legal instructions regarding your preferences for medical care if you are unable to make decisions for yourself. A living will usually provides specific directives about the course of treatment healthcare providers and caregivers are to follow. In some cases a living will may forbid the use of various kinds of burdensome medical treatment. It may also be used to express wishes about the use or foregoing of food and water, if supplied via tubes or other medical devices. The living will is used only if the individual has become unable to give informed consent or refusal due to incapacity. For example, if the patient states that he/she is having an incurable terminal disease, then the order should be to withhold treatment to prolong the patient s dying.
In conclusion. living will is only valid if the patient is unable to communicate his/her wishes, while HCPA is applicable to terminal event as well as if the patient is able to communicate.