title: [Knowledge level and professional attitudes to the Living Will: Differences between different professionals and provinces in the same autonomous community].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Primary: To determine the differences, by occupational category and province, in the knowledge and attitudes of health professionals on the Living Wills Document (LWD) in 4 Andalusian provinces: Cordoba, Jaen, Cadiz, and Granada. Secondary: To determine the number of documents prepared in these areas and the number consulted in terminal situations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive observational multicenter study, with 17 health areas in 4 Andalusian provinces.
  
  
  METHODS
  Family doctors, nurses and social workers of the areas studied (n=340). Interventions Validated self-administered questionnaire about advance directives. Descriptive and bivariate (×2) analysis of data was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean age 46±8.8 years, 53.2% women. Physicians 56.1%, nurses 41.1%, social workers 2.6%. The mean score (0-10) of their knowledge was 5.42±2.41, with 78.4% believing that LWD are regulated in Andalusia (provinces differences, P=.001). More than one-third (36.7%) had read the document (differences by occupation, P=.001). The mean score on the advantage of preparing a LWD for the patient was 8.27±2.16 (significant differences between provinces P=.02). Mean score about the practitioner would respect the wishes of a patient in a LWD was 9.14±1.64 (significant difference between provinces P=.03). The mean score of the question about expressing the desires of the professional on preparing their LWD in the following year was 4.85±3.74 (P=.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are different behaviors between professions on reading the LWD. There are differences between provinces in the following aspects: whether the documents are regulated, whether the professionals prepare the LWD, and whether the professionals respects the provisions of the LWD.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Rute, Rute, Córdoba, España. Electronic address: fajcarmen@gmail.com.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Fajardo Contreras
authors.affiliation: Unidad Docente de Jaén, Jaén, España.
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Valverde Bolívar
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Fuente Palmera, Fuente Palmera, Córdoba, España.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Jiménez Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Universidad de Granada, Granada, España.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gómez Calero
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Gestión Clínica Conil-La Janda, Conil-La Janda, Cádiz, España.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Huertas Hernández
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016223:Advance Directives; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016224:Living Wills; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010820:Physicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000068217:Social Workers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Actitud del personal de salud; Advance directives; Atención Primaria de Salud; Directivas anticipadas; Health personnel attitude; Instrucciones previas; Living wills; Primary Care