Advance directives can ease the stress of life-or-death medical decisions

Advance directives can ease the stress of life-or-death medical decisions: The critical role of the surrogate decision-maker deserves more attention and support, say experts. It's incredibly stressful - on a par psychologically with having your house burn down. Too often, hospital staff and clinicians want to move into the decision-making phase without taking into account the family members' need to come to terms with the situation.