Massachusetts Medical Society Urges Attention to Advanced Care Planning Issues

Waltham, MA (PRWEB) March 24, 2005

The Massachusetts Medical Society is urging citizens across the state to consider completing advanced planning directives for end-of-life-care issues and is calling attention to its website www.healthcareproxy.org to assist individuals and families in doing so.

“The sad and tragic case of Terry Schiavo should bring widespread attention to this critically important need for individuals and families,” said John A. Fromson, M.D., vice president for medical affairs of the Society and a member of the Massachusetts Commission on End of Life Care.     

“End-of-life issues will reach every one of us at some time or other, either as a patient, a loved one, or family member,” said Fromson. “It is vitally important that individuals be prepared, not only to have their wishes be carried out, but also to avoid the potential confusion, difficulties, regret and trouble among friends, family and loved ones that can occur in the absence of directed wishes.”

Fromson also said that the Schiavo case and the previous situation surrounding Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams are leading examples of the turmoil that can occur when little or no advanced planning takes place.

Despite such examples that gather enormous attention in the news, Fromson pointed out that most of us do not have such instructions in place. Some estimates range as high as 75 percent of American adults who do not have written directives for loved ones or families to follow in the event of severe disability or incapacitation. Further, Fromson said the Schiavo case points out that this is not just an issue for the elderly or the terminally ill. Terry Schiavo was but 26 years old when she became incapacitated.

“If there is some good that can come from this tragic situation,” said Fromson, “perhaps it is a new-found awareness of the importance of advanced planning and health care proxies.”

Fromson says a health care proxy is the critical first step to ensure that one’s care will be consistent with his or her beliefs and values and that final wishes will be fulfilled. This is a document that lets a person designate a particular individual, called a healthcare agent, to make important decisions about one’s healthcare in the event a person is unable to make them on his or her own. It should also provide peace of mind for a person, knowing that one’s wishes have indeed been communicated and will be carried out.

In Massachusetts, a health care proxy is a legally binding instrument that can also place limits on the designated agent’s ability to make decisions. While Massachusetts has no law regarding living wills, this type of document can enhance the healthcare proxy by articulating specific instructions for physicians regarding withholding or withdrawing treatment or drastic life-saving maneuvers.

In 2002, a coalition of 1,000 organizations dedicated to improving end-of-life care, the Last Acts Campaign, issued a first-ever state-by-state report card on end of life care. Last Acts concluded that in Massachusetts, as throughout the nation, good end-of-life care is not the norm, despite the fact that Americans overwhelmingly recognize its importance. The Campaign in its report said that of the 56,000 deaths in the Bay State every year, many of those who die in pain receive treatment not consistent with their wishes.

Completing a proxy takes four simple steps: (1) designate an individual as agent; (2) talk to him or her and explain exactly what you desire – be as specific as possible and make sure it’s in writing (taking into account the possibility that, when ill or at the end of life, you may not be competent to speak for yourself); (3) complete a health care proxy form, ensuring it is properly signed, dated, and validated by two witnesses; and (4) distribute it to all health care providers, family members, and others whom you believe need to know.

End-of-life-care resources are also available online from the Massachusetts Commission on End-of-Life Care to help individuals plan properly. Its Resource Guide may be viewed at www.endoflifecommission.org.

The Massachusetts Medical Society, with some 18,300 physicians and student members, is dedicated to educating and advocating for the patients and physicians of Massachusetts. The Society publishes The New England Journal of Medicine, one of the world’s leading medical journals; the Journal Watch family of professional newsletters covering 11 specialties; and AIDS Clinical Care. The Society is also a leader in continuing medical education for health care professionals throughout Massachusetts. Founded in 1781, MMS is the oldest continuously operating medical society in the country.

For more information, visit http://www.massmed.org.

# # #