Finland, officialy The Republic of Finland. Around 5.3 million people reside in Finland , Finland currently numbers 5,410,233 inhabitants and has an average population density of 16 inhabitants per square kilometer. Finland's total area is 338,144 km² (130,558 sq. miles). Finland is the seventh largest country in Europe.

A complete description of the Finnish Health Care System available online at:

World Health Organization - Regional Office for Europe

In Finland, living wills are regulated via the Act on the Status and Rights of Patients (1992). This law has been subject to a series of amendments that have shaped the current situation of living wills.

In finnish, Advance Directives are named as Hoitotahto.

Finland does not possess a standard procedure for the completion and registration of living wills.

Living wills may be issued orally or in writing, although the presence of two witnesses is recommended in the case of a written document.

Living wills may be written in the patient’s medical history and confirmed via the patient’s signature. They may also be less formal, in which case they are simply adjoined to the medical history.

Another method involves a written document that is kept at home, although in this case it is the responsibility of the patient and the patient's family and friends to ensure that the living will is delivered to the medical staff when necessary.

It is possible to design a healthcare proxy, however there is no specific regulation about this matter.

Living wills can be modified or revoked at any time

In Finland, living wills are regulated via the Act on the Status and Rights of Patients (1992) (Available online at http://www.finlex.fi/en/laki/kaannokset/1992/en19920785.pdf). This law has been subject to a series of amendments that have shaped the current situation of living wills.

The Act on the Status and Rights of Patients was amended in 2005, whereby the methods for making decisions on behalf of incapacitated patients were clarified.

Finland does not possess a standard procedure for the completion and registration of Advance Directives.

Less than 5% of hospital patients have completed their living will.

At the current time there is no register of living wills in Finland, meaning that it is impossible to know how many living wills have been written by general Finnish population.

There is no specific form to register an Advance Directive in Finland.

• Terveyskirjasto . [Finnish Medical Society Duodecim]. http://www.terveyskirjasto.fi. Information about living wills available at http://www.terveyskirjasto.fi/terveyskirjasto/tk.koti?p_haku=hoitotahto&p_artikkeli=dlk00809 (Finnish)

• The Alzheimer Society of Finland. http://www.alzheimer.fi/. The society was established in 1988 to provide help and assistance for people with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers. The society is a not-for-profit organisation and it is mainly funded by the Finnish Slot Machine Association. Information about living wills available at: http://www.alzheimer.fi/document.php?DOC_ID=157&SEC=140478ed76faa685000c996ddf5e859e&SID=1 (Finnish)