Developing issues in medical decision making: the durable power of attorney and institutional ethics committees

Legal doctrines clearly place the responsibility of medical decision making on the individual, but the physician must assume the responsibility for medical care and treatment decisions and must always strive to do so in ways that promote the rights and interests of his or her patients. In this article, the legal basis for patients' rights in health care decision making is explored, and advance directives for health care decisions (living wills and durable powers of attorney) and the development of institutional ethics committees are discussed.