[Advance directives in palliative care units]. / Directives anticipées dans les unités de soins palliatifs.

Patients with advanced illness and their caregivers request information at all stages of the disease process. They experience fear of pain, of indignity, of abandonment and of the unknown. Open and direct discussions can ease many of these fears. Advance directives may be useful tools to improve communication and satisfaction with decision-making at the end-of-life. Each patient hospitalized in palliative care unit should be informed about advances directives and be encouraged to complete them. However, it is of importance to respect patients' pace and to accept that some may not want to be involved in such process.