Physicians are most interested in saving lives. Scenes like the above, however, have helped them to understand the pitfalls encountered when there is no clear direction expressed by a patient. Communication, patient to doctor, is essential, at a time when an individual is not physically incapacitated nor mentally incompetent. Happily, this is occurring more and more frequently. It is key to determine what the individual's desires are, or would be, if a time came when he or she could not make a decision.
Resuscitation is just one item.
The physician is available to render advice regarding the patient's wishes, especially if the options are unclear, or decisions not reasonable nor in the patient's best interest. The decisions made can then be included in a living will at a time when the patient's competence cannot be disputed. At the same time, a health care proxy could be chosen to make sure that those decisions are known and will be carried out. Your documented wishes can now be included in your hospital's medical record if or when you are admitted for some medical problem. Not only your physician but also all of the other personnel on your unit will then know them.