Employees Can Serve as Witnesses for Advance Directives

Houston Methodist employees can voluntarily serve as witnesses for patient advance directives and inpatient DNR orders.

However, if you are providing direct clinical patient care to the person involved or if you serve as an administrative officer of the hospital, you may not serve as a witness.

“There is a prevalent misconception at our clinical facilities regarding the use of Houston Methodist staff as volunteer witnesses for patient advance directives and inpatient DNR orders,” said Mark Easterly, vice president, Houston Methodist Legal Services. “There is no legal prohibition, system policy or procedure that would prohibit our staff from serving in this capacity. In fact, as counsel for the organization, the attorneys for Houston Methodist support this practice and believe our facilities should facilitate the witnessing of patient documents.”

We encourage our patients to make advance directives and to participate in their own health care decisions. In keeping with our I CARE values, we discourage having guests serve as witnesses because it interrupts their visitation with their families and patients.