Advance directives prior to COVID-19 diagnosis in a United States national healthcare system.

Summary: Imagine getting very sick and not being able to speak for yourself. An "advance directive" is a medical form that tells doctors what kind of care you want and who can make choices for you. During the COVID-19 pandemic, having this form was extremely important.

Researchers looked at over 400,000 military veterans who caught COVID-19 to see if they had filled out this form before getting sick. They found that very few people—only about 16 out of 100—had one. Even among those most at risk of dying from the virus, the numbers were still very low. The study also found that Black and Hispanic patients, as well as men, were much less likely to have the form compared to white patients and women. This shows we need better ways to help all people plan for medical emergencies.