About the Patient Self-Determination Act
Advance Directives
Durable Power of Attorney
The Living Will
Patient Representatives
Ethical Concerns
About the Patient Self-Determination Act
The Patient Self-Determination Act (PSDA) was passed by Congress in
1991. It requires hospitals that receive payments from Medicare
and Medicaid to provide information to all adult patients about
their rights to accept or refuse medical or surgical treatment and
to write advance directives.
Advance Directives
An advance directive is a set of instructions, written in advance,
about what healthcare decisions you would want in the future.
It gives you the opportunity to accept or refuse medical
care in the future if you become terminally ill or
permanently unconscious and unable to communicate. There
are two types of advance directives: the durable power of
attorney and the living will. For more information
regarding advance directives, please call hospital extension 8394.
Durable Power of Attorney
This allows you to designate another person to make healthcare
decisions in the event that you become ill and are unable to
communicate. A durable power of attorney for healthcare goes into
effect when a person is unable to communicate, whether the ability
to communicate is lost temporarily or permanently.
The Living Will
This is a written document that states which medical treatments
you would want or would not want if you ever became
terminally ill or permanently unconscious and unable to communicate.
Any of the treatments that you have included in your living will
should be discussed with your family and family physician. It is
very important that everyone involved understands the treatments
and what might happen if the treatments are performed or withheld.
A living will does not go into effect until after an individual
becomes terminally ill or permanently unconscious and unable to
communicate.
All doctors involved in providing care to you should be made
aware of your advance directive and its contents. Information about
your advance directives should be on your hospital chart.
Remember that any decision included in an advance directive has no
effect on the care you accept or refuse while you are
still able to communicate - even if you are terminally ill.
In order for the hospital to follow an advance directive, you
must bring the document with you or complete it
during your stay. If the hospital already has a copy, you
may be asked to review and initial the document to ensure
its contents are still valid. Should you have any questions or wish
to execute an advance directive, please notify your nurse when you
are in the hospital.
Patient Representatives
Your needs, concerns, suggestions and thoughts are very important
to us. If you are pleased with your hospital stay or if there are
any problems that concern you during your stay with us, please dial
hospital extension 8394 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and
4:00 p.m. and ask to speak with a patient representative.
Ethical Concerns
Southern Regional has a hospital-wide Ethics Committee to provide
nurses, physicians, staff, patients and their families with a
forum for discussing and resolving ethical issues. The Ethics
Committee does not operate as a decision-making body, but rather
serves as an educational resource and idea exchange for ethical
questions relating to hospitalization and treatment. To arrange
for an ethical consult, contact a patient representative at
770-991-8394 between 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
After hours, have the hospital operator contact the house supervisor.