ARRT Patient Care Practice Exam

What legal document authorizes another individual to make health care decisions on behalf of an incapacitated person?

1. Advance health care directive

2. Living will

3. Health care proxy

4. All of the above

The correct answer is: Living will

The legal document that effectively authorizes another individual to make health care decisions on behalf of an incapacitated person is the health care proxy. A health care proxy specifically designates an individual to make those crucial decisions when the person who is incapacitated cannot express their own wishes regarding medical treatment. This formal appointment ensures that the designated person can act in the best interest of the patient, adhering to the patient's values and preferences. While an advance health care directive encompasses a variety of instructions regarding medical care and can include a living will, it may not always appoint someone to make decisions. A living will is a document that outlines specific wishes regarding medical treatment but does not appoint an individual to make those decisions directly; instead, it provides directives about what the incapacitated person does or does not want in terms of medical care. In summary, the health care proxy is the precise document for designating a decision-maker for someone unable to do so themselves, differentiating it from other documents that may address health care wishes but do not formally designate a decision-maker.