Factors Associated with Successful Intervention to Facilitate Completion of Advance Medical Directives: A Cross-Sectional Study

AbstractEven in countries with a defined legal framework for advance directives (AD), the rates of completion are low. The goal of the present study was to assess whether intervention by means of a lecture by a family physician (FP) is effective for the facilitation of completion of AD by patients. A secondary aim was to assess the knowledge and attitudes of adults on AD. The intervention included an interactive lecture on AD by an FP in two villages in southern Israel. The success of the intervention was measured as completion of AD at primary care clinics over a three-month period after the intervention. Sixty-seven patients 17 years of age and older attended the lecture (1.0% vs. 19.0% for the religious and secular villages, respectively, p < .001). Ten participants (14.9%) completed AD within three months after the intervention (p = .002). Patients from both the secular and religious villages expected that their FP (74%) and/or an outpatient nurse (33%) would initiate the discussion on AD and commented that they would like the topic to be more prominent in the media. Intervention by means of an interactive lecture delivered by an FP in the community is an effective way to motivate patients to complete AD.