What document communicates a patient's wishes regarding medical treatments?

The living will is a legal document that outlines a patient's preferences regarding medical treatments and interventions in scenarios where they may be unable to communicate their decisions due to incapacitation. This document typically specifies which medical procedures the patient would or would not want in critical situations, such as terminal illness or irreversible conditions.

While both a medical directive and a health proxy may play roles in patient care decisions, a medical directive often serves as an umbrella term that can include living wills and other advance directives, but it doesn't necessarily focus solely on a patient’s specific treatment choices. A health proxy, on the other hand, designates an individual to make medical decisions on behalf of the patient, which does not communicate the patient's treatment wishes directly but rather delegates decision-making authority to another person.

Patient consent forms are critical in establishing permission for specific treatments or procedures, but they do not address long-term medical wishes or preferences in situations where the patient cannot voice their decisions.

Therefore, the living will is the instrument specifically designed to communicate a patient’s treatment wishes in advance of situations where they might not be able to express those wishes.