Advance directives (ADs) allow patients to express their medical treatment preferences. Patients with ADs are more likely to receive medical care concordant with their wishes and are less likely to die in the hospital than patients without them, but use remains low in the US. Maria Silvera, MD, a palliative care physician and associate professor of medicine at the University of Michigan, and Catherine Auriemma, MD, a fellow in pulmonary/critical care medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, discuss the importance of ADs and strategies to increase their uptake.

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