ABSTRACT
No disponible
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Decision Support Techniques , Life Support Systems/instrumentation , Intensive Care Units , Prospective Studies , Confidence Intervals , Statistics, NonparametricSubject(s)
Clinical Decision-Making , Intensive Care Units , Life Support Care , Patient Admission , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Prospective Studies , Refusal to TreatABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: A right information about illness is essential if a patient has to take ethically autonomous medical decisions. We assessed whether a group o patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) had enough information about their illness to take medical decisions. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Structured interview about disease knowledge, wills to receive medical information and to take part in medical lesions as well as opinion on advance directives. RESULTS: Seventy-eight patients with COPD were interviewed. Ninety-two per cent of them were aware that they had a chronic illness and 63% were aware that it was an evolving disease. Fifty per cent believed they could require ICU admission, yet only 33% had knowledge of what mechanical ventilation was. A previous ICU admission and receiving home oxygen therapy were the only factors related to a better knowledge of disease. Forty-six per cent of patients interviewed felt not to be rightly informed, yet 64% of them did not wish to receive more information. Most patients would wish to have some form of future planning of their medical care in case of incompetence. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with COPD do not have enough information to take autonomous decisions. Knowledge is mainly provided by an earlier experience with illness and its complications.
Subject(s)
Lung Diseases, Obstructive/therapy , Patient Participation , Aged , Decision Making , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Patient Education as Topic , SpainABSTRACT
No disponible
