Changes in the Attitude and Practice Toward End-of-Life Care: Perspective of Chinese Physicians in Medical Department

End-of-life care is affected by the attitude and cultural influence of doctors.

To investigate the attitudes and practices of doctors on end-of-life care by questionnaire survey in 2004 and 2008.

In 2004, 31.7% of the respondents agreed that they "do not attempt resuscitation" (DNAR) form was useful and it rose to 54.4% in 2008. A higher proportion of respondents in 2008 claimed that they signed the DNAR form for documentation and accepted withholding noninvasive life-sustaining treatment compared to 2004. In 2004, 50% of the respondents regarded their training and education on handling DNAR issue as inadequate.

Documentation by DNAR form is gaining wider acceptance. Many doctors are expected to have more training and coaching on communication for handling such sensitive issues.