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Professional characteristics and the prevalence of advance directives among palliative care professionals: A cross-sectional study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 October 2020

Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia*
Affiliation:
School of Nursing, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, Brazil
Luciana Dadalto
Affiliation:
Law School, Newton Paiva University Center, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Isabelle Cristinne Pinto Costa
Affiliation:
School of Nursing, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, Brazil
Denismar Alves Nogueira
Affiliation:
Institute of Exact Sciences, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, Brazil
Silvia Caldeira
Affiliation:
Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Health, Lisboa, Portugal
Aoife O'Mahony
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
Guilherme Antonio Moreira de Barros
Affiliation:
Medical School, São Paulo State University – UNESP, Botucatu, Brazil
*
Author for correspondence: Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia, School of Nursing, Federal University of Alfenas (UNIFAL-MG), Rua Gabriel Monteiro da Silva, 700 - Centro - Alfenas/MG, Brazil. E-mail: ana.mesquita@unifal-mg.edu.br

Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the association between professional characteristics and the prevalence of advance directives among palliative care professionals.

Methods

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. A diverse sample of 327 healthcare professionals completed an online survey investigating demographic variables, length of time working in palliative care, post-graduate qualifications in palliative care, and development of their own advance directives.

Results

The prevalence of advance directives among professionals working in palliative care was associated with factors such as higher academic qualifications, holding a post-graduate qualification in palliative care, and working in palliative care for a longer time. Furthermore, psychologists were most likely to have registered their own advance directives, compared with other healthcare professionals.

Significance of results

Post-graduate palliative care education and professional experience in this area appear to be important factors associated with palliative care professionals writing of their own advance directives. However, our study suggests that just being involved in or familiar with the context of palliative and end-of-life care does not guarantee that health professionals register their advance directives.

Type
Original Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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