{"id":14919,"date":"2026-01-31T08:19:35","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T08:19:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-end-of-life-care-planning-2\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T08:19:35","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T08:19:35","slug":"what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-end-of-life-care-planning-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-end-of-life-care-planning-2\/","title":{"rendered":"What doctors wish patients knew about end-of-life care planning"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<promo-embed>\n<div class=\"simplecast_podcast-187066 article_stub_as_inline--wrapper\">\n<div data-entity-type=\"simplecast_podcast\" data-entity-uuid=\"a00edc68-1bee-4e4a-b2b2-f48ab95a45de\" data-embed-button=\"media\" data-entity-embed-display=\"view_mode:media.full\" class=\"align-none embedded-entity\" data-langcode=\"en\" data-entity-embed-display-settings=\"[]\" eid=\"simplecast_podcast-187066\" data-raw-id=\"187066\">\n<div class=\"ama__podcast-player\">\n<div class=\"ama__podcast-player__episode_info\">\n<h4 class=\"ama__h4 ama__h4--purple\">AMA News Wire<\/h4>\n<div class=\"podcast-container\">\n    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" height=\"52px\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/player.simplecast.com\/1cd8a105-ed2b-40db-9c47-43882b79cb45?dark=false\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"ama__h3\">What doctors wish patients knew about end-of-life care planning<\/h3>\n<p class=\"ama__podcast-player__date\">Nov 26, 2025<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/promo-embed>\n<p>When patients take time to document their health care wishes\u2014before a crisis\u2014physicians and families are better equipped to honor their goals. Yet many adults have never discussed serious illness and end-of-life care planning or completed advance directives, leaving critical decisions to be made by loved ones in moments of stress or uncertainty.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Advance-care planning allows patients to outline what matters most to them if they become unable to communicate their choices, yet research shows that only about one-third of adults in the U.S. have completed advance directives. Through advance directives\u2014legal documents such as living wills or durable powers of attorney for health care\u2014people can designate someone to make decisions on their behalf and specify the treatments they do or do not want. These conversations are essential to ensure care aligns with patients\u2019 values and to reduce the emotional burden on loved ones.<\/p>\n<promo-embed>\n<\/promo-embed>\n<p>The AMA\u2019s\u00a0What Doctors Wish Patients Knew\u2122 series gives physicians a platform to share what they want patients to understand about today\u2019s health care headlines.<\/p>\n<p>For this installment, Susan E. Nelson, MD, system chair of palliative medicine at Ochsner Health and medical director of hospice and palliative medicine for Ochsner Health Network, discusses what patients need to know about advance directives and end-of-life planning such as a living will and health care power of attorney.<\/p>\n<p>Ochsner Health\u00a0is part of the AMA Health System Member Program, which provides enterprise solutions to equip leadership, physicians and care teams with resources to help drive the future of medicine.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-there-are-two-documents-for-advance-directives-01\">There are two documents for advance directives<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cOne is the health care power of attorney, which is the person who would make decisions for you if you couldn\u2019t make them yourself,\u201d said Dr. Nelson. \u201cThink of it as more than just an emergency contact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The second is a living will, which \u201coutlines the general plan of care as well as the \u2018line in the sand\u2019 regarding how you want to be treated if you have a life-limiting condition,\u201d she said, noting \u201cadditional documents may include a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order or a mental health treatment declaration.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>  <media-embed><\/p>\n<p>  <\/media-embed><\/p>\n<p>Separate from these advance directives and health care documents are financial instruments relating to your personal finances. These include \u201ca will, which determines who inherits your assets, and a financial power of attorney that grants someone access to your financial accounts,\u201d Dr. Nelson said. \u201cThese documents really help people navigate life\u2019s journey.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-each-state-has-different-laws-02\">Each state has different laws<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cSome people go to an attorney and get one comprehensive document that includes everything, but a health care power of attorney and a living will don\u2019t necessarily require an attorney,\u201d said Dr. Nelson. \u201cIn some states, these documents only need to be notarized.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn others, they just need to be witnessed by two people who are not related to you or financially benefiting from your death,\u201d she added.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the health care power of attorney and living will, there are the \u201cPOST, MOLST, MOST or POLST documents, which are portable medical orders for patients in the face of serious life-limiting illness or frailty,\u201d Dr. Nelson said. \u201cIn some states it\u2019s called the Physician Order for Scope of Treatment, and in Kansas and Missouri it\u2019s called TPOPP\u2014Transportable Physician Orders for Patient Preference.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDespite the variations, these documents share a common purpose: ensuring that medical orders align with patient preferences,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-it-s-not-about-who-you-favor-more-03\">It&#8217;s not about who you favor more<\/h2>\n<p>Patients often have misconceptions about advance directives and end-of-life care planning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor example, they might mention a burial policy, but as physicians, we don\u2019t need to know about that,\u201d Dr. Nelson noted. \u201cAdvance directives are about what happens between today and the day\u2014whatever your belief system is\u2014the angels come to get you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne common challenge is selecting a health care power of attorney. If you have multiple children, you might hesitate to choose one because you don\u2019t want to seem like you\u2019re favoring one over another,\u201d she said. \u201cBut it\u2019s important to choose the person who is the most responsible and capable of making decisions in a crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWithout naming a health care power of attorney, multiple children may legally share the decision-making responsibility, which can lead to disputes and delays in care,\u201d Dr. Nelson explained. \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s crucial to identify someone and an alternate or two who will consult with siblings but ultimately make the necessary decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n<promo-embed>\n            <\/promo-embed>\n<h2 id=\"toc-make-your-advance-directives-accessible-04\">Make your advance directives accessible<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cAt Ochsner Health, we store advance directives in our electronic health record,\u201d Dr. Nelson said. \u201cWe\u2019ve also partnered with MyDirectives, a national company that uses health-information exchanges to keep these documents accessible and portable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emphasizing the importance of having copies readily available, she urged patients to \u201ctake a picture of your documents and save it in your phone\u2019s notes or email it to your children. Some people will even keep a USB drive with a PDF of their documents on their keychain.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeyond digital storage, physical copies should also be accessible,\u201d Dr. Nelson advised, noting \u201cyou can keep copies in your glove box, on your fridge in a manila envelope or share them with your designated decision-makers.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-don-t-wait-until-it-s-too-late-05\">Don\u2019t wait until it\u2019s too late<\/h2>\n<p>When it comes to creating advance directives, there is no reason to delay\u2014regardless of your age or health status.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s importance to designate a health care power of attorney,\u201d Dr. Nelson said, \u201csomeone you trust and who knows you well enough to make decisions on your behalf.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven younger people should plan for unexpected events, such as a car accident with a severe head injury,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-have-conversations-early-06\">Have conversations early<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cEach state has an order of decision-makers under law, but many people are unaware of their designation or may not want the responsibility,\u201d Dr. Nelson said. \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s better to have these conversations early and document your preferences.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can include resuscitation preferences, ventilation, feeding tubes and more in your advance directives,\u201d she said. \u201cBut you have to talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For example, \u201cusing family gatherings, such as Thanksgiving, as an opportunity to discuss these plans,\u201d Dr. Nelson suggested. \u201cThat\u2019s how my mother brought it up to us.\u201d<\/p>\n<promo-embed>\n<div class=\"article_stub_as_inline-40841 article_stub_as_inline--wrapper\">\n<div data-entity-type=\"article_stub_as_inline\" data-entity-uuid=\"96f55bef-81a8-401c-b645-9dddacd2a104\" data-embed-button=\"news_article\" data-entity-embed-display=\"view_mode:block_content.full\" data-langcode=\"en\" data-entity-embed-display-settings=\"[]\" class=\"embedded-entity ama__article-stub--inline\" eid=\"article_stub_as_inline-40841\" data-raw-id=\"40841\">\n<h4 class=\"ama__article-stub--inline__label\">Related Coverage<\/h4>\n<p>            What doctors wish older adults knew to manage their health<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/promo-embed>\n<h2 id=\"toc-review-your-documents-every-year-07\">Review your documents every year<\/h2>\n<p>Life changes, such as marriage, divorce, a new diagnosis or moving to a new area, can shift values, priorities and needs. That is why it is important to review and update your documents regularly. Dr. Nelson recommended reviewing and updating advance directives annually, ideally around your birthday.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt Ochsner, we\u2019re integrating reminders into our system to encourage patients to review their documents during their birthday month,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a good time to reflect on what matters most.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-it-s-ok-to-change-your-mind-08\">It&#8217;s OK to change your mind<\/h2>\n<p>While advance directives are \u201ceasy to create and share,\u201d said Dr. Nelson, \u201cno decision is written in stone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can change your mind or update your health care power of attorney at any time,\u201d she said. \u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-physicians-are-there-to-help-09\">Physicians are there to help<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cSometimes decision-makers worry that they\u2019ve made the wrong choice and feel survivor\u2019s guilt,\u201d Dr. Nelson said. \u201cAs physicians, we should reassure them and provide medical expertise and recommendations to help them navigate these moments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAdvance care planning is a gift to yourself and your loved ones,\u201d she said. \u201cBy documenting your wishes, you ensure that your care aligns with your values and relieves your family of the burden of making difficult decisions during a crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t wait,\u201d said Dr. Nelson. \u201cStart the conversation today.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AMA News Wire What doctors wish patients knew about end-of-life care planning Nov 26, 2025 When patients take time to document their health care wishes\u2014before a crisis\u2014physicians and families are better equipped to honor their goals. Yet many adults have never discussed serious illness and end-of-life care planning or completed advance directives, leaving critical decisions [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_daextam_enable_autolinks":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2025-11-06-WILLWISH_Index-1170x780.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14919"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14919\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}