title: A population-based study on advance directive completion and completion intention among citizens of the western Canadian province of Alberta.
abstract: Determining what proportion of the public has completed an advance directive and which population subgroups complete or do not complete such a directive is crucially important for planning purposes. Our research objective was to examine and compare advance directive completion, intention to complete, and noncompletion rates among citizens of one Canadian province. A telephone survey was conducted with 1,203 Albertans who met gender, age, and other requirements for a representative sample. When asked, "Do you have a living will or personal directive?" 43.6 percent reported having completed a directive and 42.1 percent indicated that they planned or intended to complete one. Completion rates increased with age. Widowed, self-employed, and retired people, and those who had lost a family member or friend and had other select end-of-life experiences and viewpoints were significantly more likely to have completed one. Although older people more often had an advance directive, personal life-and-death experiences should be recognized as major influences on directive completion.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Level 3, Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, 11405 87 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 1C9. donna.wilson@ualberta.ca
authors.forename: Donna M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Houttekier
authors.forename: Sabu Aliyar
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Kunju
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Birch
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Rod
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: MacLeod
authors.forename: Jessica A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hewitt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016223:Advance Directives / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D000416:Alberta; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors