Advance directives. Population prevalence and demand in Florida

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Law
• Bioethics

Background:

• Advance directives, including living wills and health-care surrogates, are crucial for patient autonomy in healthcare decision-making.
• Understanding public awareness and utilization of these directives is essential for improving healthcare planning and patient rights.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the prevalence of and demand for advance directives among adult residents in Florida.
• To identify factors influencing the completion of living wills and the designation of health-care surrogates.

Main Methods:

• Telephone surveys using random digit dialing were conducted with 1,000 Florida residents aged 18 and older in November 1994 and April 1995.
• The surveys included questions on awareness, completion rates, and willingness to complete advance directives.

Main Results:

• 88% of respondents had heard of living wills, while only 25% had heard of health-care surrogates.
• 25% had completed a living will, and 8% had designated a health-care surrogate.
• 73% of those without advance directives expressed willingness to complete them if forms were readily accessible.

Conclusions:

• While awareness of living wills is high, knowledge of health-care surrogates is significantly lower among Florida residents.
• A substantial gap exists between the desire for advance directives and their current completion rates, suggesting inadequate educational and accessibility measures.
• Age and socioeconomic status independently influence the likelihood of completing advance directives, highlighting potential disparities in access and understanding.