Your Healthcare Decisions: Inova Fairfax Medical Campus

As a capable adult, you have the right to be involved in decisions about your healthcare. Your physician will provide an explanation of your illness, treatment options and the possible outcomes. He or she will answer your questions and make recommendations regarding your medical treatment. We encourage you to discuss your condition and your choices for treatment with your family or others who are close to you.

Advance directives

You have the right to complete an Advance Directive which shares your wishes if you are unable to make healthcare decisions for yourself. It can also provide specific directions for End of Life care. We want to know, and will always respect your wishes in accordance with the law and the hospital’s capabilities. An Advance Directive can include:

• A durable power of attorney for health care, or agent
• Healthcare instructions and instructions for end of life care
• Your wishes related to organ and tissue donation

If you have an Advance Directive, please provide a copy to your nurse. If you would like more information about Advance Directives, please ask your nurse or call the Case Management Department at ext. 63508.

Learn more about Advance Directives and download printable versions "Your Right to Decide" booklet in eight languages

Ethics Consultation Service

Ethical questions can arise when a patient has lost the capacity to make decisions for themselves, when there is uncertainty about who should make decisions, when it is unclear whether the burdens of a treatment are worth the expected benefits, or when values and preferences appear to be in conflict.

The Ethics Consultation Service provides an additional layer of specialized assistance for patients – assisting to help identify, analyze and resolve specific ethical questions or issues. Patients, family members and health professionals can decide whether or not to follow the recommendations of the Ethics Consultation Service, and everyone remains responsible to make their own decisions.

Any patient, family member, guardian, health professional or others with a legitimate interest in a patient's care may request a consultation. If you would like to request an Ethics Consult, simply tell your nurse or physician and they will contact the Ethics Consultation Service on your behalf. Or, you can dial the operator and ask for the Ethics representative on call. All consultations are strictly confidential and provided free of charge.