RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ADVANCE DIRECTIVES OF WILL, MEANING OF LIFE AND RELIGIOUS ATTITUDE

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between knowledge about advance directives of will, meaning in life, and religious attitudes from the perspective of primary health care physicians and nurses. Materials
and Methods: Cross-sectional analytical study in which 110 professionals responded to three instruments: a questionnaire on advance directives, the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and the Religious Attitude Scale-20. Spearman’s correlation analyses (r) were performed to test the relationship between the variables, with a significance level of 0.05. Results: Most professionals (79.1%) reported that they had no knowledge about advance directives. Significant, albeit weak, correlations were found between the Search subscale of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire and the desire for family members to complete advance directives, as well as between the total scores and components of religious attitudes and the Search subscale of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire. Search subscale scores were significantly higher in the group with higher levels of religious attitudes. Conclusion: Primary health care professionals have limited knowledge about advance directives, so it is important to improve training and support for these professionals by integrating cultural and religious aspects into practical guidelines and continuing education programs to foster an environment in which they feel prepared to discuss end-of-life care.