[Establishing an advance directive--summary of practical experience]

Abstract

Since the Federal Act on Advance Directives came into force, some experience has been gained with its use in practice. This article aims at concentrating the practical experience and establishing a first summary of results. The Lower Austrian Patient Advocacy has contributed to the content of the Law Act in the preparatory phase and one of its responsibilities now is to support people, who want to establish an advance directive, in the process of doing so. This article does not cover the subject from a theoretical point of view and it purposefully does not concentrate so much on academic or literary discussion. In fact, it describes the results that could be found in everyday practical use and is intended to give assistance to those confronted with advance directives, in this context especially to physicians who support patients in the process of creating such a document.