“If you don’t have an advance directive yet, claim your superpower now. An advance directive is a document that states which medical interventions you want — or don’t want — if you are incapacitated.” – Kim Fellner

A recent Washington Post article explores how you can put yourself in the driver’s seat of your care. Healthcare decisions should be about consultation and collaboration, not authority and direction. Kim Fellner has metastatic Ewing’s sarcoma and provides her first-hand account of how she coaches her medical team to ensure she gets the care she wants and needs. 

Here are the four key takeaways:

1. Find a doctor you trust and like. A lot of your quality of care will depend on your physician. Finding one you trust puts you in the best position to have your end-of-life wishes honored.

2. Complete your advance directive. Your advance directive is one of the best ways to document the type of care you want and the unwanted care you wish to avoid. Remember to review your advance directive regularly to ensure it is up to date with your medical needs.

3. Stay informed on your care. To have deeper conversations with your medical team, never be afraid to ask questions. To make sure you are accurately hearing what your medical team is telling you, take a loved one with you to your appointments.

4. Embrace the tough conversations. Make sure your doctors know what your priorities are when choosing your treatment options. For Kim Fellner, it was deciding between taking an aggressive treatment approach – which could make her sick for the rest of her days – or working to maintain her current quality of life. Decide which is more important to you and then share that with your healthcare team. 

These are great tips to have a more productive doctor-patient relationship. Remember to not just express your end-of-life care wishes verbally, but make sure they are clearly documented in writing. 

If you haven’t completed your advance directive, there is no better day than today to begin. Put your priorities on paper by completing your state specific advance directive now: https://compassionandchoices.org/resource/putting-priorities-paper-advance-directive/.

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