title: [Attitude to incurable disease].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To find the opinions and attitudes of our patients regarding questions of incurable disease and death.
  
  
  METHODS
  A crossover, descriptive study.
  
  
  METHODS
  2 medical clinics and 2 nursing stations at 2 health centres.
  
  
  METHODS
  720 patients between 14 and 90 seeking health-care. Sampling of their appropriateness was performed, with systematic daily questionnaires. Known carriers of cancer or AIDS were excluded, as were those with understanding, communication or hearing problems.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A survey was carried out after a pilot period, using a specially composed questionnaire with seven closed questions. The study period was three months. 60.8% of those questioned would be willing to tell a close family member if the latter had an incurable illness; 60.9% would allow a doctor to do so. 69% would want to be told the truth if they suffered an incurable illness, with 57.3% opting for a doctor as spokesperson. 58.6% would prefer to die at home and 31.3% in hospital. Preference for hospital was unconnected to age or fear of pain. 44% pointed to pain as their greatest fear in an incurable illness, followed by 25.7% whose greatest fear was disability.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  On the whole, our patients seemed favorable to telling the truth about a hypothetical incurable illness, whether their own or a family member's. The majority would prefer to die at home and mainly fear pain.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Salud de Otero, Asturias.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fernández Díaz
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Pérez Suárez
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cossío Rodríguez
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martínez González
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001293:Attitude to Death; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013727:Terminal Care; D014342:Truth Disclosure
vernacular_title: Actitud ante una enfermedad incurable.