Health care workers should always follow the directions of a client’s living will.

• A. Health care workers should always follow the directions of a client’s living will
• B. Health care workers may ignore living wills when convenient
• C. Living wills are only about resuscitation
• D. Living wills are optional and rarely used

Answer: (A)

A living will is an advance directive that documents a patient’s preferences for medical treatment in situations where they cannot communicate. The main idea is to honor the patient’s autonomy and wishes, guiding care even when they’re not able to speak for themselves. Because these directives convey the patient’s informed choices about life-sustaining interventions, healthcare workers are obliged to follow them if the document is valid, current, and applicable to the current medical condition. That means if the living will specifies not to pursue resuscitation, intubation, or certain life-prolonging treatments in a terminal or irreversible situation, those instructions should be honored rather than pursuing treatments the patient did not want. It’s not just about resuscitation; living wills can cover a range of interventions and situations, and they’re commonly used and legally recognized.

If a living will is unclear or conflicts with other orders, clinicians should verify validity, consult available surrogates or ethics resources, and follow applicable laws and policies to determine the correct course of action.