Abstract
Advance Directives were created by Congress in an attempt to better serve the needs of patients in long term care and acute care settings. The Patient Self-Determination Act of 1990 was an excellent concept to further patient rights, but the Act did not present necessary guidelines to insure uniform implementation. Healthcare providers were given flexibility in designing and implementing policies and procedures to operationalize the Act. However, key Professionals are not actively participating in the implementation. Examined are patients' perspectives and ideas on how professionals should be actively involved in meeting the consumers needs, wants, and desires. A model on how to effectively implement the Patient Self-Determination Act of 1990 is discussed.
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