Terminality and living will: the knowledge of medical students

Abstract With the intent of increase the autonomy of terminal patients the Federal Council of Medicine was created the Resolution 1.995/2012, which allows the living will. With the objective of evaluate the knowledge of medical students from the first to sixth years about concepts and medical conducts in terminally ill patients, this research was conducted in the form of a cross-sectional study, through the application of a questionnaire, which was completed by 348 medical students. From those, 251 (72,1%) correctly identified concepts about conducts in terminally ill patients, but only 23,5% claimed to know and chose correctly the meaning of the living will. Despite the low knowledge, 80, 1% stated that they intend to respect it when they encounter a terminal patient. Further research is needed, as a way of warning at the current medical curriculum and to bring to light discussions of conducts over terminally ill patients and open ways to the humanized medical practice.