[«State of the Art» on Advance Directive Consultations]

«State of the Art» on Advance Directive Consultations Abstract. Living wills serve to preserve self-determination at the end of life. They are intended to give patients the opportunity to intervene in their own treatment even if they are no longer able to do so because they are incapable of giving consent. In clinical practice, it is important, particularly in the case of serious illnesses such as cancer, not to work solely with general or standardized directives, but to seek formulations that are as individually suitable as possible. The attending physicians can provide important support in this regard.