healthcare decisions
Treatment path selections
Healthcare decisions are choices about medical treatment, procedures, or care—whether to undergo surgery, accept medication, continue life support, or pursue alternative therapies.
The term often appears in legal contexts involving who has authority to make such choices when someone cannot: She designated her sister to make healthcare decisions if she became incapacitated.
Advance directives and powers of attorney formalize these arrangements.
- advance directivesDocumented healthcare preferences beforehand
- do not resuscitateOrder refusing emergency revival
- conservatorArtifact preservation expert
- healthcare fundingMoney supporting medical services
- diagnosisIdentification of illness
patient autonomy · informed consent · quality of life · proxy · insurance coverage · out of pocket · pre-existing condition · cultural competence · palliative · treatment plan · diagnostic imaging · power of attorney · confidentiality · medical proxy · custodian · exercise regimen · second opinion · family planning
- women's rightssuffrage movement, women's suffrage, women's rights, gender equality, feminism
- custodychild custody, joint custody, custody agreement, custody schedule, custody evaluation
- guardianship lawlegal guardian, legal guardianship, conservatorship, ward of court, mental capacity
- power of attorneypower of attorney, agent, principal, attorney-in-fact, proxy
healthcare decisionsinvoluntary commitment
Mandated psychiatric institutionalization
healthcare decisionsstandard of care
Minimum acceptable professional conduct