Living Wills

The Advance Wills Document (DVA) is a tool that allows you to decide in advance about the medical care you want to receive, in anticipation that at some point you may not be able to express this will in a personal way. This right, recognized by Spanish and European legislation, values the patient's autonomy, which remains in force even when he/she cannot decide for him/herself.

The DVA is a personal and legal document that:

Is addressed to the responsible physician.
It allows to leave in writing the instructions to be followed in situations in which he/she cannot express his/her will.
Women have the option of designating a representative, who will act as a valid interlocutor with the physician or the healthcare team.

For the DVA to be valid, it is necessary to ensure that:

The person's identity and capacity to act have been verified.
The person knows the content of the document.
The content fully reflects the person's will.

To guarantee these requirements of validity, the Advance Directive must be granted:

With the intervention of three witnesses

The witnesses must be of legal age and have capacity to act.
At least two of the witnesses must not be related up to the second degree of kinship or have any patrimonial ties with the person issuing the document.

Before a health professional

It can be a professional in the field of primary care, hospital or social-health care. It is preferable that he/she belongs to the patient's reference centers.

Before a notary

In this case, no witnesses are required.

To register the Advance Wills Document (DVA) to your medical record or to resolve any doubt related to this procedure, you can contact the Citizen Attention Service of your referral center. This service will provide you with all the necessary information and support.

For more information you can access the website of the Department of Health of the Generalitat de Catalunya. In the section citizens you will find information of interest, such as considerations about the document, the informative guide to prepare it and the most frequently asked questions, among others.

Access to the Department of Health website