Atitudes dos profissionais de saúde sobre as diretivas antecipadas de vontade

Advance Directive is a free and clear statement in which the adult and capable person who is not interdicted or disabled by psychic disturbances gives instructions about future treatments that he or she whishes or does not receive when he or she is unable to consent personally and independently. Aims: To describe the attitudes of healthcare professionals regarding the Advance Directives. Methodology: Descriptive, observational and cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, with accidental sampling made up of health professionals working in Portugal registered with the Portuguese Nurses, Doctors and Psychologists Order or Associations of Social Work Professionals that accepted to answer the questionnaire that was disseminated electronically by the Professional Orders/ Associations. Results: The participants have positive attitudes towards complex scenarios of the implementation of Advance Directives and in relation to the moment of practical application they do not feel prepared to inform about the Advance Directives and didn’t feel that the chronically ill are well informed about the evolution of the disease to be able to make a decision. Conclusions: There was uncertainty in the disclosure of information about the clinical situation of the patient and the Ad¬vance Directives by healthcare professionals. The results further the need to invest in the knowledge of health professionals, through information and training.