El plan de parto como documento de instrucciones previas.

Abstract

Introduction In the last decades birth plans have been gaining relevance as instruments of manifestation of the will of women. They have been linked to satisfactory obstetric results but have been also referred to as a source of conflict between professionals and users, as well as a frustration source for the latter in case they cannot be accomplished. Objectives This article aims to clarify the legal status of birth plans in Spain. Methodology An experiment is carried out: an extensive birth plan is written, then notarized and finally registered in the Catalan Register of Advance Directives. Results and Conclusions According to the experiment, birth plans are an advance directive, which has legal consequences regarding their enforceability and application.