The selection of a designated health care "proxy" often is unexpected, according to a study published in the August issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the Detroit Free Press reports.
A proxy, or "durable power of attorney for health care," makes health care decisions for patients in the event that they become incapacitated.
For the study, Michael Lipkin, an assistant professor in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, and colleagues interviewed 298 adults ages 19 to 96 who received outpatient treatment at the General Eye Clinic at the University of Chicago.
Researchers asked participants who their physicians should inform in the event of an emergency.
In addition, researchers asked participants who they would select to make health care decisions on their behalf in the event that they could not make the decisions themselves. According to the study: