Which term describes the situation when medical interventions are withheld according to a patient's wishes?

The correct answer is advance directive. This term encompasses a series of legal documents that dictate a patient's preferences regarding medical treatment should they become unable to communicate their wishes. An advance directive includes instructions about the types of interventions a patient does or does not want, and it can specify situations where medical interventions should be withheld based on the patient's preferences.

A living will is a specific type of advance directive that details the types of medical treatments the patient wishes or does not wish to receive in scenarios such as terminal illness or incapacitation. While it directly relates to the withholding of interventions, it is one component under the broader umbrella of advance directives.

A health care proxy refers to an individual designated to make medical decisions on behalf of a patient if they are unable to do so themselves. This role incorporates the patient's wishes as expressed in advance directives but does not directly describe the act of withholding interventions.

A Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order specifically instructs healthcare providers not to perform CPR in case of cardiac arrest. While it is a critical decision regarding medical intervention, it is a specific directive rather than the broader concept of making choices about various medical treatments encompassed in advance directives.

Thus, advance directive is the most appropriate term as it broadly covers the situation where