Colorado § 15-18-103 - Definitions.

§ 15-18-103. Definitions.

As used in this article 18, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) "Adult" means any person eighteen years of age or older.

(2) "Advanced practice registered nurse" means a nurse who is included in the advanced practice registry pursuant to section 12-255-111.

(3) "Artificial nutrition and hydration" means:

(a) Nutrition or hydration supplied through a tube inserted into the stomach or intestines; or

(b) Nutrients or fluids injected intravenously into the bloodstream.

(4) "Attending physician" means the physician, whether selected by or assigned to a patient, who has primary responsibility for the treatment and care of the patient.

(5) "Court" means the district court of the county in which a declarant having a terminal condition or in a persistent vegetative state is located at the time of commencement of a proceeding pursuant to this article or, if in the city and county of Denver, the probate court.

(6) "Decisional capacity" means the ability to provide informed consent to or refusal of medical treatment or the ability to make an informed health-care benefit decision.

(7) "Declarant" means an adult possessing decisional capacity who executes a declaration.

(8) "Declaration" means a written document voluntarily executed by a declarant in accordance with the requirements of section 15-18-104.

(9) "Hospital" means an institution holding a license or certificate of compliance as a hospital issued by the department of public health and environment and includes hospitals operated by the federal government in Colorado.

(10) "Life-sustaining procedure" means any medical procedure or intervention that, if administered to a qualified patient, would serve only to prolong the dying process, and shall not include any medical procedure or intervention for nourishment of the qualified patient or considered necessary by the attending physician or advanced practice registered nurse to provide comfort or alleviate pain.

(11) "Persistent vegetative state" is defined by reference to the criteria and definitions employed by prevailing community medical standards of practice.

(12) "Physician" means a person duly licensed under the provisions of article 240 of title 12.

(13) "Qualified patient" means a patient who has executed a declaration in accordance with this article and who has been certified by his or her attending physician and one other physician to have a terminal condition or be in a persistent vegetative state.

(14) "Terminal condition" means an incurable or irreversible condition for which the administration of life-sustaining procedures will serve only to prolong the dying process.

Source: L. 2010: Entire article R&RE, (HB 10-1025), ch. 113, p. 376, § 1, effective August 11. L. 2019: IP, (2), and (12) amended, (HB 19-1172), ch. 136, p. 1670, § 81, effective October 1.