[Do advance directives facilitate the process of dying in dignity?]. / Unterstützen Patientenverfügungen ein Sterben in Würde?

The benefit of an advance directive was evaluated by written questionnaires and personal interviews with relatives, nurses and physicians of recently deceased patients. The results indicate that a written advance directive is less important than ongoing communication between relatives or a designated person of trust, physicians and nurses. A standard advance directive however is helpful to initiate the discussion about the last will of a person. A further result of this survey is, that physicians and nurses do not feel confident in decision making regarding treatment and care of the dying. A written advance directive or a designated person of trust helping decisions making in the presumptive will of the patient, is seen as helpful.