[Knowledge and attitudes about advance directives on physicians and nurses]

Area of Science:

• Healthcare professional education
• Medical ethics
• Patient autonomy

Background:

• Advance directives are crucial for respecting patient autonomy in healthcare.
• Understanding healthcare professionals' perspectives on advance directives is essential for effective implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess and compare the knowledge and attitudes of physicians and nurses regarding advance directives.
• To identify areas for improvement in healthcare professional education on advance directives.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive, cross-sectional pilot study was conducted in the East healthcare area of Madrid, Spain.
• Primary care and specialized care physicians and nurses participated.
• A questionnaire assessed knowledge, use, and attitudes towards advance directives using dichotomous and Likert scale variables.

Main Results:

• A total of 192 physicians and nurses responded (83.4% response rate).
• General knowledge on advance directives was low (median score of 5/10).
• While 60.1% were aware of the legal regulation, only 22.8% had read the relevant document.

Conclusions:

• Physician and nurse knowledge regarding advance directives requires significant improvement.
• Healthcare professionals demonstrated positive attitudes towards the utility and respect for advance directives.
• The study methodology is suitable for larger-scale implementation with improved questionnaire distribution and collection processes.