Advance Directives - St. Louis
The Patient Self-Determination Act of 1991 requires health care providers to inform you of your rights as recognized under Missouri law to make decisions concerning your medical care. This includes your right to accept or refuse medical or surgical treatment and your right to write an advance directive.
Advance directives are written instructions about how you want medical decisions made if you can no longer communicate your wishes. The two most common types of advance directives are a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare and a Health Care Directive. A Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare allows you to appoint someone to make health care decisions for you, if you are unable to do so. These decisions may include, but are not limited to, decisions to withhold or withdraw life-prolonging procedures. A Health Care Directive is similar to a Living Will. It allows you to state, in advance, your wishes regarding the use of life-prolonging procedures.
During the inpatient admission process you will be asked if you have an advance directive. If you have one, it is your responsibility to provide Mercy with a copy so it can be placed in your medical chart. Please discuss your advance directive with your physician to ensure she/he has no ethical concerns about carrying out your instructions.
If you do not have an advance directive, but would like more information or would like assistance completing one, please tell your nurse. She/he will contact someone from our Pastoral Services department to assist you. While here, you also may view information about advance directives on Channel 18, our Spirituality Channel.After leaving Mercy, you’re welcome to call Pastoral Services at 314.251.6470 to ask that an Advance Directive Packet be mailed to you.
It’s Mercy’s policy to honor your advance directive within the limits of the law and the guidelines of the current Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services provided by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
