Surgery>>>>>Ethics, Palliative Care, and Care at the End of Life
Question 2#

Living wills are documents which are meant to guide decision making when:

A. The patient's family cannot be contacted
B. The patient is rendered incompetent or unresponsive by an illness judged to be terminal
C. Multiple attempts at resuscitation have failed
D. The patient's family disagrees with the course of treatment

Correct Answer is B

Comment:

Living wills are intended to guide decisions by physicians, family members, and/or surrogate decision makers when the patient himself/herself is unable to render an opinion and the condition or disease is judged to be terminal or "hopeless".