Advance directives in the UK: legal, ethical, and practical considerations for doctors

In the United Kingdom (UK), advance directives have recently received considerable attention from professional and voluntary organizations as well as medical journals and the media. However, despite such exposure, many doctors remain uncertain of the importance or relevance of advance directives wit...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of general practice 1998-05, Vol.48 (430), p.1263-1266
Main Authors: Kessel, A S, Meran, J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Advance Directives - legislation & jurisprudence
Bioethics
Disclosure
Ethics, Medical
Humans
Personal Autonomy
Personhood
Principle-Based Ethics
Sociology
United Kingdom
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In the United Kingdom (UK), advance directives have recently received considerable attention from professional and voluntary organizations as well as medical journals and the media. However, despite such exposure, many doctors remain uncertain of the importance or relevance of advance directives with regard to their own clinical practice. This paper addresses these uncertainties by first explaining what advance directives are and then describing the current legal status of such directives in the UK. Examination of the cases underpinning this status reveals several key elements: competence, information, anticipation, applicability, and freedom from duress. Each is discussed. Although this paper focuses on legal issues, it is important that medical law does not dominate medical ethics. Accordingly, the paper also discusses some important philosophical and sociological considerations that have remained largely unexplored in the medical press. Finally, the paper deals with practical matters, including how the general practitioner might be involved.
ISSN:0960-1643