Advance directives of willingness: an exploratory study

Abstract

Technological progress and the advancement of scientific knowledge in health provide a longer life. Still, on their own, they do not guarantee the desired quality of life, as they can lead to therapeutic obstinacy or dysthanasia, undermining the autonomy of the person. The main aim of this research was to analyse the knowledge, attitudes and practices of nurses at a hospital centre in the north of Portugal regarding advance directives. This is a descriptive and correlational study with a quantitative approach carried out among 270 nurses. The majority of participants were female (87%), with an average age of 39 and an average time in professional practice of 15 years. 52.9% of the nurses revealed that they had a "Good" level of knowledge, although there were gaps in some points of the law and in the operationalisation of the consultation of Advance Directives of willingness. The results of this study seem to suggest that nurses have adequate knowledge and show a positive attitude towards people with valid Advance Directives. However, it is important to expand research in this area and invest in the knowledge and training of nurses.