Advance directives use in acute care hospitals.

It is a federal requirement for health care organizations to provide and obtain information from admitted patients about their rights to self-determination and executing an advance directive. But how compliant are acute care organizations with this law? This article explores the extent to which hospitalized patients in one Southeastern United States organization had advance directive documentation; its correlation with socioeconomic factors, and the success of educating patients and providing care that is consistent with patient's wishes.