What is a Directive?
A blood-related Medical Directive (sometimes called a DPA — Durable Power of Attorney for healthcare) is a legal document that tells doctors which blood products and procedures you accept and refuse.
It matters because an emergency is the wrong time to explain your decisions. If you're unconscious, in surgery, or unable to communicate, your Directive speaks for you.
What's in a Directive?
A bloodless.org Directive includes:
For each of 10 blood products and procedures, you choose Accept, Refuse, or Personal Decision. These cover primary components (whole blood, red cells, plasma, platelets), fractions (albumin, immunoglobulins, clotting factors), and autologous procedures (cell salvage, hemodilution, heart-lung bypass).
A person you designate to make blood-related decisions on your behalf if you can't communicate. Plus an alternate agent as backup.
Free-text area for anything specific — "I accept recombinant clotting factors but not plasma-derived ones" or "Please consult my agent on any fractions decisions."
Signature lines, witness information, and jurisdiction selection for legal validity.
What you get
- A printable legal document — PDF format, ready for signing and witnessing
- A wallet card — credit-card-sized summary with a QR code for emergency access
- Phone emergency info — text for your iPhone Medical ID or Android Emergency Information
- A shareable link — so your Healthcare Agent and doctors can view your Directive digitally
Is it legally binding?
Advance Medical Directives are recognized in all US states and most countries, though specific requirements (witness count, notarization, etc.) vary by jurisdiction. bloodless.org generates the document — you sign, witness, and file it according to your local requirements.
The document itself is not legal advice. Consult an attorney if you have questions about validity in your jurisdiction.