Advance Directive in Spanish

What it means

An advance directive is a legal document that states a person's wishes about receiving medical care if that person is no longer able to make medical decisions because of a serious illness or injury. MedlinePlus says these documents allow you to spell out your decisions about end-of-life care ahead of time. According to the National Cancer Institute, the types include a living will, a durable power of attorney for health care, and do not resuscitate (DNR) orders. A living will tells which treatments you want if you are dying or permanently unconscious. A durable power of attorney for health care names a health care proxy, someone you trust to make health decisions if you are unable to. In the United States, the laws may differ by state.

Spanish term: Directiva anticipada
Gender and article: feminine: la directiva anticipada (plural: las directivas anticipadas)
Pronunciation: dee-rehk-TEE-vah ahn-tee-see-PAH-dah

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
instrucciones médicas por adelantado	General	Name MedlinePlus en español uses in the text of its topic page, which is titled Directivas médicas por adelantado.
instrucciones por adelantado	General	Headword of the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary entry.
voluntades anticipadas	General	The National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary says the document is also called directrices o voluntades anticipadas.
documento de voluntades anticipadas	General	Title and term of the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia article.

The sources do not agree on one Spanish name. MedlinePlus en español titles its topic page Directivas médicas por adelantado and, in the text, calls the documents instrucciones médicas por adelantado. The National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary enters the term as instrucciones por adelantado and says it is also called directrices o voluntades anticipadas. The MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia uses documento de voluntades anticipadas. This page keeps directiva anticipada as its headword, a form that none of the pages cited here uses as its own name for the document; the feminine agreement follows the MedlinePlus title (directivas médicas).

The names of the individual documents also vary. A living will is testamento en vida on the MedlinePlus en español topic page and testamento vital in the NCI dictionary and the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia. A durable power of attorney for health care is poder legal duradero para el cuidado de la salud in MedlinePlus en español and poder notarial permanente in the NCI dictionary. MedlinePlus en español calls the person named to decide the apoderado, and the NCI dictionary gives orden de no reanimar, abbreviated ONR, for a do-not-resuscitate order.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Clinician	Do you have an advance directive or a living will?	¿Tiene una directiva anticipada o un testamento vital?
Patient	Yes, I brought a copy for my medical record.	Sí, traje una copia para mi expediente médico.
Patient	My daughter is my health care proxy.	Mi hija es mi apoderada para la atención médica.
Clinician	Who should make medical decisions for you if you are unable to make them?	¿Quién debe tomar las decisiones médicas por usted si usted no puede tomarlas?
Patient	I do not have an advance directive. Who can help me fill out the form?	No tengo una directiva anticipada. ¿Quién puede ayudarme a llenar el formulario?
Clinician	Have you talked with your family about the care you would want?	¿Ha hablado con su familia sobre la atención que desearía recibir?
Patient	Can I change my advance directive later?	¿Puedo cambiar mi directiva anticipada más adelante?
Patient	Is this form valid if I move to another state?	¿Este formulario es válido si me mudo a otro estado?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Advance Directive
Spanish (Español)	Directiva anticipada
Chinese (中文)	預立醫療指示
Korean (한국어)	사전 의료 지시서
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Chỉ thị chăm sóc y tế trước
Filipino (Tagalog)	Advance directive
Portuguese (Português)	Diretiva antecipada de vontade
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	คำสั่งล่วงหน้าเกี่ยวกับการรักษา
Japanese (日本語)	事前指示書

Where you'll see it

intake formmedical recordchart

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: General care: tests, procedures and medicines

All terms in this area: General care: tests, procedures and medicines — Atención general: pruebas, procedimientos y medicamentos

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.