Most people believe that advance medical directives and similar paper forms described in laws and regulations of various countries and states are "legally binding" as long as they are signed and witnessed (or notarized) correctly, so doctors have to follow them.  Similarly, they want to make sure that their digital advance care plan created using MyDirectives is "legally binding."  At least in the United States, however, the American Bar Association has pointed out that advance directives are not legally binding, they are legally recognized - and you need to understand the difference.  Advance directives give healthcare providers legal protection if they choose to follow your instructions, but doctors in most jurisdictions are allowed to refuse to comply with your wishes if they have an objection of conscience or believe your treatment choices are medically inappropriate.  In fact, the only reliable strategy is to discuss your medical treatment goals, preferences and priorities with your family, caregivers and doctors before a crisis occurs so that everyone understands what you want if you ever suffer a health crisis and can't communicate.  That is why MyDirectives places such importance on making those conversations easier and more effective for our users to have and to document.  Whether you use a legalistic, paper-based form or MyDirectives' interactive process to record your wishes, the resulting document is just another tool that doctors can use when deciding what medical treatments to perform.  Of course, the doctors first have to find them.  MyDirectives is unique in that we help you create a higher quality document - a document that is less likely to include confusing, conflicting answers - and we help you share your digital advance care plan and discuss your wishes with anyone you want.  Then, we do our best to make sure that your digital advance care plan can actually be found by healthcare providers if you can’t share it with them yourself.