Abstract
Loss of decision-making capacity can pose challenges for individuals, their families, and clinicians. Absence of advance directives and knowledge of patient’s treatment preferences can make health care delivery challenging, especially in complex medical situations that demand critical decision-making. Surrogate decision-making, wherein a substitute decision-maker is appointed to make decisions on the individual’s behalf when they are not able to do so, is helpful in such situations. Over the years, the concept of surrogate decision-making has evolved and is now a legal process with each state entitled to formulate its own surrogacy laws. This chapter covers the standards of surrogate decision-making, state-specific laws in the United States and their variability, applicability and limitations, status of non-traditional surrogates, and issues concerning the unbefriended.
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Dhar, R., Gupta, A. (2019). Surrogate Decision-Making. In: Balasubramaniam, M., Gupta, A., Tampi, R. (eds) Psychiatric Ethics in Late-Life Patients. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15172-0_9
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