Which document enables a health care agent to make medical decisions for another person?

Which document enables a health care agent to make medical decisions for another person?

• A. Living Will
• B. Power of Attorney for Health Care
• C. POLST form
• D. Do Not Resuscitate order

Answer: (B)

The document that authorizes a designated person to make medical decisions when someone can’t is the durable power of attorney for health care (also called a health care proxy). It names an agent who can speak for the patient, consent to or refuse treatments, and navigate medical choices on the patient’s behalf. This purpose is exactly what’s meant by “enables a health care agent to make medical decisions for another person.” A living will, by contrast, states what kind of care a patient would or wouldn’t want in specific situations, but it doesn’t appoint a decision-maker. A POLST form translates current treatment preferences into medical orders for providers, not a person who can decide when the patient can’t speak. A Do Not Resuscitate order is a directive about whether to perform CPR in an emergency, not a mechanism to designate who decides overall medical care.

The document that authorizes a designated person to make medical decisions when someone can’t is the durable power of attorney for health care (also called a health care proxy). It names an agent who can speak for the patient, consent to or refuse treatments, and navigate medical choices on the patient’s behalf. This purpose is exactly what’s meant by “enables a health care agent to make medical decisions for another person.”

A living will, by contrast, states what kind of care a patient would or wouldn’t want in specific situations, but it doesn’t appoint a decision-maker. A POLST form translates current treatment preferences into medical orders for providers, not a person who can decide when the patient can’t speak. A Do Not Resuscitate order is a directive about whether to perform CPR in an emergency, not a mechanism to designate who decides overall medical care.