How to prepare advance medical directives

2) Be sure you meet the conditions

To prepare advance medical directives, you must be of full age and capable of giving consent to health care.

In concrete terms, this means that when you prepare your advance medical directives, you must be able to understand the information in the form, in particular the information about:

• the proposed treatment
• the advantages and drawbacks of using these treatments

It also means that you’re able to make decisions and express them.

Did you know?

The capacity to consent to care must not be confused with the capacity to take care of oneself.

An individual can be considered incapable of managing their property and finances, yet nevertheless capable of making decisions concerning their health care.

This means that individuals represented by a mandatary or a tutor may be capable of consenting to their own care and therefore of issuing advance medical directives.

It’s important to look at each situation on a case-by-case basis.

Requirements to issue advance medical directives (Gouvernement du Québec)

Consenting to health care for the incapable person (Gouvernement du Québec)

3) Obtain the form from the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ)

To prepare advance medical directives, it’s mandatory to use the model form provided by the RAMQ.

To obtain it, contact RAMQ by telephone at 1 800 561‑9749 or download and print the form entitled “Advance Medical Directives in Case of Incapacity to Consent to Care” available through your clicSÉQUR account.

Contact us (Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ))

clicSÉQUR - Citoyens (Gouvernement du Québec)

4) Complete the form and sign it before two witnesses

You must sign the form before two witnesses, both of full age and capable. Medical staff members can be witnesses, for example.

The form comprises three sections. The first section provides general information. The second is where you indicate your choices for the five types of care in the three defined medical situations.

Make sure you initial each page. The third section is where you sign and date the form in the space provided.

Procedure to express your wishes though advance medical directives (Gouvernement du Québec)

Advance Medical Directives in Case of Incapacity to Consent to Care form extracts (Gouvernement du Québec)

5) Inform medical staff that you have advance medical directives

To ensure that your choices regarding your care are respected, the medical staff must be informed that you have advance medical directives.

There are different ways to make sure they know. You can:

• Send your directives directly to the RAMQ, who will file them in the advance medical directives register.
• Give your directives to a health professional, who will file them in your medical record.
• Give your directives to a person you trust, who can send them to a health professional if you become incapable.

Did you know?

If you hire a notary to prepare your advance medical directives, you can ask for them to be forwarded to the Régie de l’asssurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) so that they can be filed in the advance medical directives register.

6) You can change your mind

You can modify your choices in your advance medical directives as long as you’re capable of consenting to health care.

To do so, you simply need to write new ones, following the same formalities as the first time. Your new directives will replace your former ones. Don’t forget to send them to the RAMQ so that they can replace the ones in the register.

You can cancel your advance medical directives.

To do so, you must:

1. Call the RAMQ to request a revocation form.

2. Complete the revocation form.

3. If your advance medical directives are in your medical record or the RAMQ’s register, you have to send the revocation form to a medical professional or the RAMQ.

4. Destroy all copies of your advance medical directives, even those you’ve saved at home. They remain valid even if they’re no longer in the advance medical directives register.

Don’t forget to inform anyone close to you who knows about your advance medical directives. Also don’t forget to tell your notary if you used one to prepare the directives.

Did you know?

Medical staff cannot provide you with care that you categorically refuse, even if you’re considered incapable of giving consent to care and you’ve consented to it in your advance medical directives.

However, in this situation, a court may order that you receive this care.