A Population-Based Study on Advance Directive Completion and Completion Intention among citizens of the Western Canadian province of Alberta. Issue 1 (March 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wilson, Donna M.; Houttekier, Dirk; Kunju, Sabu Aliyar; Birch, Stephen; Cohen, Joachim; MacLeod, Rod; Hewitt, Jessica A.
• Is Part Of: Journal of palliative care. Volume 29:Issue 1(2013)
• Page Start: 5
• Page End: 12
• Publication Date: 2013-03
• Subjects: advance directive -- living will -- completion rates -- research -- survey -- public opinion poll -- Canada; Terminal care -- Periodicals; 362.17505
• DOI: 10.1177/082585971302900102
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0825-8597

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.