The Living Will: Help or Hindrance?

Abstract

After reviewing the intended functions of living wills in promoting patient autonomy and facilitating decisions on withholding treatment from the terminally ill, the authors analyze the extent to which living wills have proven useful in the clinical setting. They present two case studies: in one, the living will did facilitate decision making by the physicians and family members; in the other, it would have resulted in a premature cessation of treatment if an institutional ethics committee had not intervened. The authors suggest ways that physicians can best utilize living wills in making appropriate decisions on terminal care. (KIE abstract)