This paper will have three parts addressing two important pieces of legislation related to the right of individuals to make health care decisions for themselves.
Part I
The Advance Health Care Directive
Locate a copy of an advanced directive (AD) that complies with the laws of the state in which you work. The organization in which you work should have a copy of an advance directive that is given to patients. If not, download your state’s Advance Directives here to an external site.
Complete the advance directive for yourself. Do not turn in your AD with your paper. The AD is for your personal use.
In your paper, Part I:
Identify where you obtained the AD and explain its compliance with state law.
Conduct research (1-2 sources) to learn more about the AD in your state and explain how it works.
Discuss how easy or difficult it was to complete the AD. Your comments should be specific and both objective and subjective. For example, when you state your personal feelings, you must relate them to the literature (textbook and research) that discusses this process and the difficulties that many people face when completing an advance directive.
(Cite/ reference any sources you use to explore these questions, including your texts.)
Part II
Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Form
What is a Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) formLinks to an external site.?
When should this form be completed?
Who can complete the form?
- Who needs to sign the form to make it a legal document?
- (Cite/reference any sources you use to explore these questions, including your texts.)
- Part III
Tie the two first sections together by writing a summary and conclusion.
This section should address:
1. the differences between an Advance Health Care Directive and the POLST,
2. the RN’s important role in assuring the patient’s right to autonomy in choosing the healthcare interventions the patient does or does not want.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
In this assignment, we will be addressing two important pieces of legislation related to the right of individuals to make healthcare decisions for themselves. Specifically, we will be discussing the Advance Health Care Directive (AD) and the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Form.
Part I:
For this part, you are required to locate a copy of an advanced directive that complies with the laws of the state in which you work. If your organization does not have a copy, you can download your state’s Advance Directives from the provided link. Once you have obtained the AD, complete it for yourself without turning it in with your paper.
In Part I of your paper, you should:
– Identify where you obtained the AD and explain its compliance with state law.
– Conduct research (using 1-2 sources) to learn more about the AD in your state and explain how it works.
– Discuss how easy or difficult it was to complete the AD, providing specific comments that are both objective and subjective. Your personal feelings should be supported by references to the literature that discusses the process and difficulties faced by individuals when completing an advance directive.
Part II:
For this part, we will focus on the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Form. You should address the following questions:
– What is a Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form?
– When should this form be completed?
– Who can complete the form?
– Who needs to sign the form to make it a legal document?
Part III:
In this final part, your task is to tie the first two sections together by writing a summary and conclusion. This section should specifically address:
1. The differences between an Advance Health Care Directive and the POLST form.
2. The important role of the registered nurse (RN) in assuring the patient’s right to autonomy in choosing healthcare interventions.
Remember to cite and reference any sources you use to explore these questions, including your textbooks.
