Abstract
Advance directives solve the problem of decision making about the future of the unconscious or otherwise incompetent patients at the end of life. The article reviews the history of advance directives and summarizes the experience with their use in USA within the last two decades.
The documents, which undoubtedly contributed to more effective implementation of the patient's right to self-determination, have sparked the debate in the society as well as healthcare, and influenced the development of advance directives movement in other countries.