What is a key reason to honor advance directives in PMU care?

• A. They determine hospital room assignments
• B. They specify resuscitation and treatment preferences, guiding care
• C. They are primarily for billing
• D. They are optional and rarely used

Answer: (B)

Honoring advance directives ensures patient preferences steer medical decisions when a person cannot communicate. In PMU care, these directives typically spell out resuscitation and treatment preferences, giving the team a clear, patient-centered plan to follow. This helps avoid unwanted procedures and ensures the care provided matches the patient’s values, even in urgent situations. They guide what should be done or withheld, rather than influencing where a patient stays or how care is billed, and they are generally intended to be followed and, when possible, acted upon across different care settings.