Identifying compliance with end-of-life care decision protocols

For the past decade, end-of-life care decisions, such as advance directives, have come to be viewed as an important component in influencing treatment decisions for patients with serious illness or loss of competence. However, few studies have examined health care providers' compliance with hospital protocols and federal regulations on end-of-life decisions. This article describes a hospital-based standards project to identify the knowledge, beliefs, and practices of physicians, nurses, social workers, and pastoral care associates in end-of-life care decisions.