Advance Decision on Life-sustaining Treatment Ordinance

The Advance Decision on Life-sustaining Treatment Ordinance (Cap. 651) (the Ordinance) took effect on 31 July 2026. The Ordinance provides a legal framework for advance medical directives (AMDs) and do-not-attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) orders, as well as legal protection for healthcare professionals and rescuers when complying with the directives and orders. The law protects patient autonomy, affirming the rights of individuals to make decisions about their own medical care and the need for those decisions to be respected at the most critical moments in life.  Relevant information and forms are available on the Health Bureau's thematic webpage at
www.healthbureau.gov.hk/en/press_and_publications/otherinfo/241100_adlto/index.html. 

Since the introduction of the Ordinance by the Government in 2024, the Academy has been developing and providing different resources to prepare Fellows and healthcare professionals for the Ordinance. In April 2025, the Task Force on Advance Medical Directives under the Academy’s Professionalism and Ethics Committee (PEC) published a set of ‘Best Practice Guidelines on Advance Medical Directives’, with the aim to equip Academy Fellows and healthcare professionals with the necessary knowledge to navigate the complex process of AMDs in the legal, ethical, and practical dimensions, offering clear directions on how to apply the Ordinance with due diligence and sensitivity when giving professional judgement. Two Online Video Trainings were subsequently developed to deepen participants' understanding of the Best Practice Guidelines. The guidelines and training will help prepare healthcare professionals when caring for patients with terminal illnesses or other irreversible conditions in which life-sustaining treatments would only delay death and can reduce potential conflicts with the patients’ caretakers or family members. These training videos are available on the Academy’s Learning Management System (LMS). For CME/CPD results, please refer to the iCMECPD website.

In addition to online resources, two Seminars on AMDs were held previously to provide a platform for Academy Fellows and other healthcare professionals to understand more about the relevant issues. The recordings of these two Seminars have been uploaded to LMS. With the Ordinance coming into effect, another Seminar is tentatively scheduled on 4 October 2026. Save the date and more information will be announced soon.