advance directive
noun
plural advance directives
: a legal document (such as a living will) signed by a competent person to provide guidance for medical and health care decisions (such as the termination of life support or organ donation) in the event the person becomes incompetent to make such decisions
… the American Medical Association estimates that 15 percent of the population has filled out some type of advance directive specifying what medical treatment they should be given if they are unable to offer guidance, or who will decide for them.—
Susan Moran
Susan MoranAdvance directives and hospice care were developed to ensure patients' autonomy and to provide high-quality care at the end of life.—Ezekiel J. Emanuel et al.
compare dnr, molst, polst
Ezekiel J. Emanuel et al.Examples of advance directive in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Choosing to Live Your Own Way Winston Ndugu (Anthony Hill), Levi Schmitt (Jake Borelli) and Jules Millin (Adelaide Kane) treated a patient named Donna Mae, who didn't have an advance directive.
—Stephanie Wenger, People.com, 11 Oct. 2024
Levi, Winston and Jules struggled with a patient named Donna who didn’t have an advance directive — and didn’t want one, thank you very much.
—Charlie Mason, TVLine, 10 Oct. 2024
Abby, please encourage your readers to make the time and make the effort to have an advance directive drawn up, whatever their desires may be.
—Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024
Prepare For Your Care is a free advance directive form that is legal in all states.
—Carolyn McClanahan, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for advance directive 
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Stephanie Wenger, People.com, 11 Oct. 2024
Levi, Winston and Jules struggled with a patient named Donna who didn’t have an advance directive — and didn’t want one, thank you very much.
—Charlie Mason, TVLine, 10 Oct. 2024
Abby, please encourage your readers to make the time and make the effort to have an advance directive drawn up, whatever their desires may be.
—Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024
Prepare For Your Care is a free advance directive form that is legal in all states.
—Carolyn McClanahan, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for advance directive
Dictionary Entries Near advance directive
Cite this Entry
“Advance directive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/advance%20directive. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
advance directive
noun
ad·vance di·rec·tive
əd-ˈvan(t)s-də-ˈrek-tiv, -dī- 
: a legal document (such as a living will) signed by a competent person to provide guidance for medical and health care decisions (such as the termination of life support or organ donation) in the event the person becomes incompetent to make such decisions compare dnr entry 2, molst, polst
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