practice partner
office consult
The purpose of this column is to answer questions about issues that we either hear about frequently, or
that have a wide applicability across the profession. If you have any questions or topic suggestions for
this column, please email them to [email protected], or contact the Physician Advisory Service.
Developing a medical directive
photo: istockphoto.com
assessor photos: D.W. Dorken
I
n the last issue of Dialogue, we explained how to determine whether
delegation is appropriate in a particular situation. In this issue, we discuss
the requirements for the development of a
medical directive.
Medical directives are written orders by
physicians (often more than one) to other
health-care providers that pertain to any
patient who meets the criteria set out in
the medical directive. When the directive
calls for acts that will require delegation, it
provides the authority to carry out the treatments, procedures, or other interventions
that are specified in the directive, provided
that certain conditions and circumstances
exist.
So let’s assume that you have determined
that delegation is indeed appropriate and
that it should take place through a medical
directive.
The most critical element in the development of the directive will be the involvement of representatives from all groups
likely to be involved in using the directive.
It is not sufficient for an administrative
authority to sign the medical directive: each
physician whose patients may receive care
under the directive must sign it. Where it
is impractical for an institution to have all
Issue 2, 2016 Dialogue
Issue2_16.indd 43
43
2016-06-16 12:27 PM