nintroductionEvery individual has the right to accept or refuse medical treatment protected by law. Sometimes, serious illnesses, injuries, or mental incapacity leave people unable to talk about what medical care they want. Such situations pose difficult questions to patients, friends, caregivers, and even family members. An advance directive is a legal document that lets doctors, family and friends know about your desired health care. This document discusses the legal and ethical basis of advance directives. At the end of the discussion, a model advance directive (living will) is provided. If doctors find that a patient is unable to make an informed decision, advance directives will speak for the patient. If misunderstandings arise among the people caring for certain patients regarding different treatment options, advance directives are used to resolve these misunderstandings. All healthcare organizations should inform their patients of these rights. A properly prepared advance directive allows anyone to plan ahead to make their wishes known and even identified...