Each of us can suddenly become so ill that he or she cannot communicate with others anymore. Nevertheless, his or her will shall be respected.
You can plan in advance for such a case.
Advance directive
What is an advance directive?
In an advance directive, you state under which circumstances you do not want specific medical treatments to be done.
The advance directive is only relevant when you yourself cannot decide or communicate anymore.
How can I write an advance directive?
In Austria, you have the choice between two types of advance directives:
A binding advance directive
- The binding advance directive must strictly fulfil certain legal requirements.
- In particular, you must consult a physician and a legal counsel when writing the advance directive.
- The medical consultation may be done by your family doctor. The legal consultation must be done by a patients' advocate, a notary public, a lawyer, or by court.
- Your physicians are not allowed to override your binding advance directive.
An advance directive to be noted
- Advance directives that do not fulfil all the legal requirements of a binding advance directive nevertheless have to be taken into consideration by your physicians. They may override your advance directive when it does not clearly express your will.
- Therefore, in any case you should clearly state which medical treatments you do not want to be done when you consider writing an advance directive.
Where do I find further information? (In German)
Forms and manuals (in German)
Here you will find forms and manuals for drafting you advance directive: