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Decisions

Most people shy away from thinking about the kinds of decisions associated with patient wishes and end-of-life care. But a tool available to West Virginians will at least make it easier for folks to make those decisions known to emergency responders and medical professionals.

West Virginia Center for End-of-Life Care has an online registry for advanced directives, and now that registry is available for emergency medical responders to view.

“Now, when EMS is transporting medically unstable patients, they can log on to the registry and see if the patient has a medical order that would say, for example, that they don’t want to be on a breathing machine or that they don’t want to go to the intensive-care unit or that, if their heart stops, they don’t want them to shock it,” said Dr. Alvin Moss, director of the center and of the Center for Health Ethics and Law at West Virginia University.

Advance directives such as living wills, do-not-resuscitate orders or medical power of attorney are not just important information for first responders and doctors to have, they relieve loved ones of an enormous burden.

EMS personnel will receive training on accessing and using the end-of-life care registry. But it is only as valuable as the number of people who choose to take advantage of it. Families should have discussions about using the registry, and sharing the information with each other. It is an important tool that has the potential to bring peace of mind to many in the Mountain State.

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