An 86-year-old female comes to your office for a wellness visit. Her blood pressure is 125/70 mmHg, pulse 69 beats per minute, and respiratory rate 18 breaths per minute. She is well-appearing and reports she is up to date on her routine vaccinations. She introduces her partner of 35 years, whom she would like to make medical decisions for her in case she becomes unable to make decisions for herself. She reports that she and her partner are not married. She asks if she needs any further documentation to ensure her goals of care are followed.

The correct answer is C: Advise them to file an advanced directive. An advanced directive is a legal document that allows individuals to specify their healthcare preferences in advance, including who they want to make medical decisions for them if they are unable to do so. In this scenario, since the patient and her partner are not married, it is important for her to have an advanced directive in place to ensure that her partner is legally recognized as the decision-maker. This documentation will help ensure her goals of care are followed in case she becomes incapacitated.

Choice A (Advise them to complete a POLST) is incorrect because a POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) form is used to specify a patient's wishes for end-of-life care, not for designating a medical decision-maker.

Choice B (Advise them that they have adequate documentation to be recognized legally) is incorrect because without an advanced directive, there may be legal challenges to the partner's authority to make medical decisions