Validation of the health care surrogate preferences scale.

Recent advances in health care technology have increased the number of health care decisions made by acute care patients and those who act on their behalf, known as health care surrogates. This study reports on the validation of a new measure, the Health Care Surrogate Preferences Scale. Designed to assess the willingness of adults to perform and convey the duties required to communicate patient preferences, the scale offers a promising tool for use by social workers in health care settings. Development, evaluation, application of the new measure, and future research needs are discussed.