Harefuah
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The provision of care for the dying patient confronts the caring team with very complex ethical dilemmas that doctors have no "medical" means to manage. Such decisions should be made according to the patient's will and preferences reflecting the value of life and the quality of life. However, many patients are not competent at this stage to decide or to express their wishes. ⋯ One resolution is the requirement that an explanation of the relevant medical information be given by a doctor or a nurse to the person who wishes to prepare written advance directives. This article suggests that the required explanation should be given within the framework of a discussion that simulates a process of informed consent for an unknown scenario at the end-of-life. Such discussions should be conducted as a dialogue, in which the doctor, first and foremost, Listens to the patient in order to clarify his/her worries and wishes, according to which specific medical orders can then be formulated.