We see that nurses have a strong commitment to comply with advance directives written by their patients. This attitude reflects the exercise of their advocacy role and the ethical requirements of their profession. We note that the Canadian Nurses Association code2 clearly requires that such advance directives should be respected: ‘Nurses respect decisions and lawful directives, written or verbal, about present and future health care choices affirmed by a client prior to becoming incompetent’ (p. 12). Among the types of written directives, we should not forget that the living will is not explicitly recognized by law in Canada. As for the durable power of attorney, its legal recognition is limited to certain provinces. Thus, nurses have the duty to be well informed about the legal context that operates for advance directives in their workplace so that they are able to meet their
patients’ needs adequately.