The Italian law on informed consent and advance directives: New rules of conduct for the autonomy of doctors and patients in end-of-life care

The effects of the new law must be tested in the field. Its objectives will be achieved if, in clinical practice, ADs are able to satisfactorily represent informed personal preferences through patients' relationships with their physicians, as part of personalized advance care planning. Future studies are necessary to assess the impact of the new law in Italy.