Abstract
This is an exploratory, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, with the participation of 143 physicians and nurses. An electronic questionnaire was applied on an online platform to analyze the current context of implementation of advance directives of will in Brazil from the perception of the participants. The results showed that professionals with training in palliative care have greater knowledge of advance directives (p<0.05) and feel easier to accept and implement them (p<0.001). Among those who answered that they were afraid to apply the advance directives (n=27), 15 reported that this concern is related to legal issues, and four to ethical issues. We conclude that knowing what the directives are makes the process of deliberation with the patient simpler, and knowledge in bioethics is one of the pillars to support the decision of professionals when choosing the best conduct to be adopted.
Keywords:
Bioethics; Advance directives; Nursing; Medicine; Palliative care