Wills and Patient Autonomy

An advance directive is a legal document that informs the care providers as to which treatments and supports the signatory does not wish to receive, if they beeome incompetent or unable to express their wishes. 

Living wills go some way to protecting patient autonomy. In the case of Malette v. Shulman (9) in the United States, a physician was found guilty of disregarding patient autonomy when he administered a blood transfusion, in an emergency situation, to a Jehovah s Witness, who had left clear written instruction of her wishes even if this led to her death. 

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