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The importance of advance directives in maintaining patient autonomy during end-of-life health care decisions Dean Myers Ethics & Compliance in the Healthcare Industry; BU 560 Dr. Mark Emerson August 7, 2007 Societal attitudes regarding death and dying have changed substantially over the past 20 years. Once a topic of limited conversation even among medical providers and ethicists, a vast majority of Americans currently express a genuine level of comfort discussing these types of issues. According to an American Medical Association study in 1988, only 15 percent of adults completed an advance directive (AD) and outlined their wishes with a friend or family member. A contrasting study in 2004 noted an obvious shift with 90 percent of Americans specifically talking with a family member about the death and dying process and 42 percent completing an advance directive (VITAS, 2004, Major Findings §). With 2.4 million Americans dying each year, we must promote the use of...

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