Ask Dr. Mirarchi: Is a Video Advance Directive Better Than a Written One?
When it comes to emergency medicine and positive outcomes, clarity saves lives. As an emergency physician, I’ve personally witnessed the confusion and stress families face when critical healthcare decisions are unclear. Traditional written advance directives, while legally recognized, often fall short at the bedside. Misinterpretation rates of these documents can reach as high as 80%, leading to treatments patients never intended or the withholding of care they truly desired.
A video advance directive addresses this critical gap by allowing patients to clearly communicate their healthcare preferences in their own voice. Unlike traditional paper directives, video recordings convey essential nuances: your tone, your emotion, and your exact intent. This visual and auditory clarity eliminates ambiguity to support clinical decision-making and aligning medical treatment precisely with your wishes.
However, how do you go about getting a video advance directive and how do you know what to say during the recording? Unfortunately, most advance directive services only offer self-service platforms that are unclear at best and downright confusing at worst. Another advantage of video advance directives is physician guidance.
That’s exactly why I started MIDEO. It provides physician-guided assistance in your advance directive planning and personalized consultations that ensure your healthcare choices reflect your medical history, current health status, and personal values.
In moments of critical care, doctors need immediate access to your directives. With traditional paper forms, essential seconds are lost searching through paperwork or online portals. In contrast, MIDEO video advance directives are instantly retrievable via QR codes and directly integrate into electronic health records (EHR), saving valuable time and avoiding unnecessary medical interventions.
Ultimately, while any advance directive is better than none, a video advance directive significantly enhances clarity, accuracy, and peace of mind for both patients and medical providers. As someone who has witnessed firsthand the consequences of ambiguous directives, I strongly advocate for the video-based format to safeguard your healthcare wishes effectively.
At MIDEO, we are here to walk you through the process. If you want to learn more or have questions, just give us a call or reach out online.
— Dr. Mirarchi, Board-Certified Emergency Medicine Physician and Founder of MIDEO Health
