Knowledge regarding advance directives in a teaching hospital

Abstract This study evaluated the knowledge of health professionals and users regarding advance directives in a Brazilian teaching hospital. The study sample comprises 145 participants – 66.9% of them health professionals and 33.1% users. Most participants had no knowledge about advance directives, with a higher incidence among users (61.9% of professionals, 91.7% of users; p <0.001). After learning about advance directives, 97.9% of professionals and 95.8% of users ( p =0.60) stated that individuals should draft directives and that physicians were responsible for initiating the conversation (56.7% and 58.3%, respectively, p =0.71). After the research, 73.2% of professionals and 58.3% of users ( p =0.19) thought about drafting directives. In conclusion, knowledge on the subject is still less than ideal in health care in the teaching hospital evaluated, especially among users.