The Importance Of Advance Care Directives ( Acd )

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The legal term of consent reflects a person’s agreement to something; while informed consent means that a patient has full knowledge of the possible consequences of the proposed treatment and has the right to accept or decline (Queensland Health, 2011). Informed consent is provided and gained during a conversation between a client and the treating health professional and is critical to providing patient-centred care (Freegard, Isted & Russell, 2012). This essay will aim to discuss the use of advance care directives (ACD) in healthcare using several ethical principles and theories such as respect for autonomy, beneficence verses maleficence and paternalism. It will also compare the professional and ethical frameworks of nurses and paramedics on the issue of ACD’s and informed consent.
Queensland Health (2011) states that in the nursing profession, certain principles must be fulfilled in order for informed consent to be considered valid. They state that the patient must be deemed to have the capacity to make a decision about the proposed issue at that specific time, and not be under the influence of any alcohol or drugs. They state that the patient must consent voluntarily and the decision be made free of manipulation or undue influence by family or the nurse. They suggest that the discussion must involve two-way communication between the patient and the nurse and be clear, rational and sensitive to the situation. The nurse must provide the patient with sufficient information about the proposed issue in a language that the patient can clearly comprehend (Queensland Health, 2011). When providing care, both nurses and paramedics must ensure that the patient has adequate knowledge and have a necessary understanding of the procedure, to...

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...SDM) is appointed or there is insufficient time to contact the SDM, the health care professionals (HCP) must comply with the binding provisions. They state that the SDM’s must abide by a refusal stated in an ACD, if they believe it would be what the patient would of wanted in the current circumstances. They suggest that the SDM will then refuse on the patient’s behalf, and their consent/refusal is legally valid. Also if a patient has indicated health care that they would accept in their ACD, and if the treatment is clinically appropriate, the ACD is an indication of their consent (SA Health, 2014). ACD’s are normally written when a person is in good health, and are not always honoured as it is not unusual for a person to change their mind as their illness progresses; and therefore patient’s still retain the option of nullifying the document (Farrell & Dempsey, 2014).

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