Testamento Vital: um estudo transversal sobre as perceções, conhecimentos e atitudes dos médicos de família em Portugal

Abstract

Advance Directives, including the creation of a Living Will, have been legally recognised in Portugal since 2012. A Living Will is drafted by patients when they are capable of expressing their healthcare preferences and refusals, while fully conscious, free, and well-informed. This study aims to investigate the perspective, knowledge, and clinical utilization of Living Wills among Portuguese general practitioners. It adopts a cross-sectional design with a quantitative approach, relying on an original, anonymous questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed to general practitioners, residents, and interns working in health centres. A total of 392 general practitioners answered the questionnaire, with a median [Interquartile Interval] age of 35 [31, 41] years. In their clinical practice, 52% of healthcare professionals have had conversations with their patients about Advance Directives, and 29.3% have consulted at least one Living Will on the Health Services Informatics System. The mean ± standard deviation number of correct answers to the 14 questions that require knowledge about the Portuguese law of Advance Directives was 10 ± 1.89. The majority of doctors reported that fewer than 1% of their patients have inquired about Advance Directives. Additionally, healthcare practitioners recognize the importance of Living Wills, but may not always be aware of their obligation to inform patients of their rights and promote health literacy. Moreover, healthcare professionals may experience demotivation due to challenging working conditions within the National Health Service. Consequently, there is a pressing need to improve medical training in this field and raise awareness of the responsibilities of general practitioners.