How to make health care decisions. Summary of Maryland Health Care Decisions Act

"The Health Care Decisions Act does not affect the doctrine of informed consent, which applies to treatment issues in the current clinical context. A patient with capacity has the right to decide these issues, including whether life-sustaining procedures should be used, whatever condition he or she is in.
 
The Act allows an adult (or an emancipated minor) who has decision-making capacity to deal with future health care issues by any of the following three methods: written instructions authorizing the provision, withholding, or withdrawal of health care, sometimes called a decisional directive or living will ..."

Maryland Advance Health Care Directives

"Everyone has the right to make personal decisions about health care. Doctors ask whether you will accept a treatment by discussing the risks and benefits and working with you to decide. But what if you can no longer make your own decisions? Anyone can wind up hurt or sick and unable to make decisions about medical treatments. An advance directive speaks for you if you are unable to and helps make sure your religious and personal beliefs will be respected. It is a useful legal document for an adult of any age to plan for future health care needs.
 
An advance directive allows you to decide who you want to make health care decisions for you if you are unable to do so yourself. You can also use it to say what kinds of treatments you do or do not want, especially the treatments often used in a medical emergency or near the end of a persons life. ..."

Who can Make Health Care Decisions for Another in Maryland?

"A 'health care proxy' is the catchall word for anyone who makes medical decisions on behalf of a patient. Under Maryland law, there are three kinds of health care proxies: health care agent, surrogate, guardian.
 
A health care agent is someone appointed by an individual to make health care decisions. Usually, the health care agent steps in after the individual has lost the ability to make these decisions personally. Most health care agents are appointed through a written document called an advance directive. (Sometimes people call this a 'durable power of attorney for health care.' It doesnt matter what it is called.) A health care agent also may ..."

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