Legal Definitions - health care proxy

A health care proxy is a legal document that allows you to name a trusted person to make medical decisions for you if you become unable to make or communicate those decisions yourself. The individual you choose, often referred to as your agent or proxy, steps into this role only when medical professionals determine you lack the capacity to make your own healthcare choices. This ensures that your medical care aligns with your values and preferences, even when you cannot voice them.

The authority granted to a health care proxy is comprehensive. It generally includes the power to:

• Consent to or refuse medical treatments, procedures, and surgeries.
• Access your medical records and discuss your condition with healthcare providers.
• Make decisions about your admission to or discharge from hospitals, nursing homes, or other care facilities.
• Hire or dismiss healthcare providers.
• Make choices regarding end-of-life care, consistent with any wishes you may have expressed in an advance directive.

Here are some examples of how a health care proxy might function:

• Imagine Sarah, a healthy young professional, is involved in a severe car accident and falls into a coma. She is unconscious and cannot communicate with doctors about her treatment options, such as whether to undergo a risky surgery or to be placed on a ventilator. Because Sarah had previously designated her sister, Emily, as her health care proxy in an advance directive, Emily can now step in. Emily meets with the medical team, reviews Sarah's prognosis, and makes critical decisions about Sarah's immediate medical care, ensuring that Sarah receives appropriate treatment based on what Emily knows of Sarah's wishes and values.

• Mr. Henderson, an elderly gentleman, has been living with advanced Alzheimer's disease for several years. He has reached a point where he no longer recognizes his family or understands complex medical information. When he develops pneumonia, his doctors need to decide on a course of treatment, including whether to administer strong antibiotics or consider hospitalization. Years ago, Mr. Henderson appointed his son, David, as his health care proxy. David can now discuss the treatment options with the medical team, weigh the benefits and risks, and make informed decisions about his father's care, ensuring that the choices reflect Mr. Henderson's previously expressed preferences for comfort and quality of life.

• Prior to a scheduled elective surgery, Maria completed a health care proxy document naming her best friend, Lena, as her agent. While the surgery itself was successful, Maria experienced an unexpected stroke during recovery, leaving her temporarily unable to speak or understand medical instructions. The doctors need to decide on immediate neurological interventions and rehabilitation plans. Since Maria cannot consent to these new treatments, Lena, acting as her health care proxy, is able to authorize necessary diagnostic tests, approve the transfer to a specialized rehabilitation facility, and communicate with the medical team about Maria's care plan, all based on discussions they had before the surgery about potential outcomes and preferences.