What is a durable power of attorney for health care?

What is a durable power of attorney for health care?

• A. A living will
• B. A legal document appointing someone to make medical decisions on behalf of the patient when they lack capacity
• C. A directive to withhold all treatments
• D. A Do Not Resuscitate order

Answer: (B)

Durable power of attorney for health care is a legal document that names a person you trust to make medical decisions for you if you become unable to speak for yourself. The key idea is that the authority is durable, meaning it stays in effect even when you’re incapacitated, so your chosen agent can step in to guide or decide treatments based on your values and prior wishes. This differs from a living will, which expresses your preferences about specific life-sustaining treatments but does not designate someone to decide for you. A directive to withhold all treatments is a particular instruction about care, not a person chosen to decide on your behalf. A Do Not Resuscitate order is a medical order directing clinicians not to perform resuscitation in a cardiac arrest; it is not about appointing a decision-maker.

Durable power of attorney for health care is a legal document that names a person you trust to make medical decisions for you if you become unable to speak for yourself. The key idea is that the authority is durable, meaning it stays in effect even when you’re incapacitated, so your chosen agent can step in to guide or decide treatments based on your values and prior wishes.

This differs from a living will, which expresses your preferences about specific life-sustaining treatments but does not designate someone to decide for you. A directive to withhold all treatments is a particular instruction about care, not a person chosen to decide on your behalf. A Do Not Resuscitate order is a medical order directing clinicians not to perform resuscitation in a cardiac arrest; it is not about appointing a decision-maker.