Your Advance Care Planning Documents

Advance care planning (ACP) includes different documents, each designed for a specific purpose.

Understanding what each document does can help you know which ones you may need now and which ones may become important later. For most adults, completing an advance directive is the best place to start.

Advance Directive

An advance directive is the foundation of your advance care plan. It allows you to document your treatment choices and name a healthcare agent who can make healthcare decisions on your behalf if you're ever unable to make or communicate those decisions yourself. Every adult should have an advance directive, regardless of age or current health. An advance directive has two main parts:

1. Power of Attorney for Healthcare
A power of attorney for healthcare is the part of your advance directive that allows you to name your healthcare agent. Your healthcare agent only makes decisions if you're unable to make or communicate your own healthcare decisions. As long as you're able to make decisions for yourself, you remain in control of your care.

2. Living Will
A living will is the part of your advance directive that documents your choices about future end-of-life treatments if you're unable to make or communicate your own healthcare decisions. It provides guidance about the types of care you would or would not want in certain medical situations and helps your healthcare agent and healthcare team understand your decisions.

POLST

A POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) form is a medical order completed with and signed by a healthcare clinician. Unlike an advance directive, which anyone can complete, a POLST is intended for people with a serious illness or who are medically frail. It contains medical orders about treatments such as CPR, hospitalization, and other life-sustaining interventions. Depending on where you live, this document may be called a MOLST, MOST, POST, or another name.

Learn more about what a DNR or do not resuscitate order is.

Do Not Resuscitate (DNR)

A Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order is a medical order stating that CPR should not be performed if your heart stops beating or you stop breathing. A DNR is completed and signed by a healthcare clinician and is appropriate only for people who have decided they do not want CPR under specific circumstances.

How These Documents Work Together

These documents aren't meant to replace one another. For most adults, an advance directive is the only document needed today.
If you later develop a serious illness or become medically frail, your healthcare provider may recommend additional medical orders, such as a POLST or DNR. Those documents work alongside your advance directive by providing treatment instructions for healthcare professionals while your advance directive continues to communicate your choices and identify your healthcare agent.

Learn how your documents from MyDirectives work together.

Which Documents Do I Need?

For most adults:

✔ Advance Directive

You may also need:

• POLST, if recommended by your healthcare provider because of a serious illness or medical frailty.

• DNR, if you decide with your healthcare provider that CPR isn't consistent with your healthcare choices.

If you're unsure which documents are appropriate for you, talk with your healthcare provider.

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