Which document appoints a person to make medical decisions for a patient if they cannot?

Which document appoints a person to make medical decisions for a patient if they cannot?

• A. Health Care Proxy
• B. Living Will
• C. 5 Wishes
• D. Informed Consent

Answer: (A)

A health care proxy is the document that names a trusted person to make medical decisions when you cannot. It designates a health care agent who can discuss options with clinicians, review your values and any known wishes, and consent to or refuse treatments on your behalf within the scope you specify. This differs from a living will, which outlines your treatment preferences but does not appoint someone to decide for you. The 5 Wishes form does include appointing a decision-maker, but the instrument whose primary function is to authorize that surrogate is the health care proxy. Informed consent, on the other hand, is the act of agreeing to a specific treatment, not the appointment of a decision-maker.

A health care proxy is the document that names a trusted person to make medical decisions when you cannot. It designates a health care agent who can discuss options with clinicians, review your values and any known wishes, and consent to or refuse treatments on your behalf within the scope you specify. This differs from a living will, which outlines your treatment preferences but does not appoint someone to decide for you. The 5 Wishes form does include appointing a decision-maker, but the instrument whose primary function is to authorize that surrogate is the health care proxy. Informed consent, on the other hand, is the act of agreeing to a specific treatment, not the appointment of a decision-maker.