Introduction

In Pennsylvania, competent adults have the right to decide whether to accept, reject or discontinue medical care and treatment. If you do not wish to undergo a certain procedure or to receive a certain type of treatment, you have the right to make your wishes known to your doctor or other health care provider and generally to have those wishes respected.

There may he times, however, when a person cannot make his or her wishes known to a health care provider. For example, a person may be unconscious or too badly injured to tell his or her doctor what kind of care or treatment he or she would like to receive or under what circumstances that doctor should withhold care or treatment.

The purpose of this document is to let you know what the law currently has to say about your rights as a competent adult to tell other people now if and how you would like to receive medical care and treatment from a health care provider in the event that you need medical attention but become physically or mentally unable to give instructions about your care and treatment later. It also tells you what Pennsylvania law has to say about the duty of a health care provider to follow your advance instructions.

To make these complex issues easier to understand, we have addressed them through a series of questions and answers. Before you make any decisions about the issues addressed in this document, you should discuss them with your doctor, members of your family, and where appropriate, your lawyer.