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- Title
Directives anticipées, testament de vie, personne de confiance: définitions et revue de la littérature.
- Authors
Chvetzoff, G.; Krakowski, I.; Rodríguez-Arias, D.; Hervé, C.
- Abstract
Two recent French laws have introduced the notions of “power of attorney” and “living wills”. Patients can now designate substitute decision-makers who will express their wishes in case of incapacity. In addition, patients can indicate in writing the type of care they would accept or refuse in case of incapacity (life-sustaining treatment, artificial nutrition, etc.). In a review of the French and international literature, we explored the origin, current use and limits of these notions. Many other countries have implemented the use of these legal instruments, some on-the-ground experiences proving very successful, while others yielding more complex results: many patients do not make use of the documents, and some doctors do not respect the patient's will. It appears necessary that patients, families and doctors meet on a regular basis, at least at every major turning point of a disease, in order to identify patients' wishes and produce a written statement. These meetings should become an integral part of clinical practice.
- Subjects
FRANCE; LIFE support systems in critical care; PHYSICIAN-patient relations; PHYSICIAN-patient privilege; MEDICAL care; RIGHT to die
- Publication
Oncologie (Tech Science Press), 2006, Vol 8, pHS106
- ISSN
1292-3818
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10269-006-0571-3