Patients increasingly demand a voice in making their wishes known at critical points in their medical treatment, and today these wishes are often spelled out in great detail. Do not resuscitate orders, advance medical directives, pain management options are some of the medical choices patients can express through legal instruments such as a living will, or by designating a health care proxy, so that these choices are clear in the event that the patient cannot express them himself. Legal issues concerning a medical providers failure to carry out a patients wishes, religious objections to executing the living will, capacity issues such as age and mental competence, informed consent, right-to-die legislation, and prohibitions against assisted suicide are also covered here.
Important topics discussed include living wills and a durable power of attorney. The patient's right to refuse medical treatment is examined, including advance medical directives, health care proxies, do not resuscitate orders, and the patient's right to pain management. The Appendix provides applicable statutes, resource directories, and other pertinent information and data.
The Legal Almanac series consists of over 70 handy guides for the lay person on all aspects of the law. Each volume includes an overview of the topic followed by chapters on the major issues in that subject. Each volume contains an Appendix containing several primary source documents as well as practical forms and checklists. A Glossary defines any technical terms used in the text.

Contents Include:
Chapter 1: The Patient's Right to Participate in Health Care Decisions
Chapter 2: What Is An Advance Directive?
Chapter 3: The Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care
Chapter 4: Landmark Right-to-Die Cases
Chapter 5: The Patient Self-Determination Act
Chapter 6: The Uniform Health Care Decisions Act
Chapter 7: Physician assisted Suicide
Chapter 8: Anatomical Donations
Back matter: Appendices; Bibliography; and Glossary
Appendices: The AMA Statement on Withholding or Withdrawing of Life-Prolonging Medical Treatment; Sample Do Not Resuscitate Order; Release from Liability for Discontinuing Life-Sustaining Procedures; Informed Consent Agreement; Sample Living Will; Table of State Living Will Statutes; Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care; Sample Living Will with Health Care Proxy; The Patient Self-Determination Act; The Uniform Health Care Decisions Act; The Oregon Death with Dignity Act; Patient Request for Medication Under the Oregon Death with Dignity Act; Attending Physician's Compliance Form Under the Oregon Death with Dignity Act; Statement Regarding Anatomical Gifts; Sample Orgason/Tissue Donor Card.