title: Advance directives and life-sustaining treatment: attitudes of Hong Kong Chinese elders with chronic disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the attitudes of Hong Kong Chinese elders with chronic disease with regard to advance directives and life-sustaining treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional questionnaire survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical unit of a regional teaching hospital in Hong Kong.
  
  
  METHODS
  In-patients aged 60 years or above with chronic disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Demographic profiles and attitudes towards advance directives and life-sustaining treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 219 elderly patients completed the questionnaire. Their mean age was 73 (standard deviation, 8) years; 133 (61%) were female. The majority had neither heard about advance directives (81%), nor discussed the issue with others (73%) before participating in this study. After they were informed of the concept of advance directives, about half (49%) said they would consider using it if it is legislated in Hong Kong. The respondents generally supported the withholding or withdrawing of life-sustaining treatment in medically futile situations. In all, 55% of them believed that the patient alone should make the decision on withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment, if competent to do so. If the patient became not competent, 44% believed that the individual's family alone should make such a decision.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The fact that most of the respondents had never heard about advance directives or discussed the concept with others points to a lack of knowledge and to the necessity to step up public education about such issues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, Hong Kong. fionhting@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Fion H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Ting
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mok
mesh_terms: D016223:Advance Directives; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001290:Attitude; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008020:Life Support Care; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires