Abstract
ObjectiveAdvance directives are becoming increasingly important as health technologies evolve. We sought to assess psychiatrists' knowledge of advance directives, as this knowledge is fundamental to the implementation and drafting of these personal documents.MethodsA previously published questionnaire that evaluated the knowledge of medical professors was used. The sample, composed of psychiatrists from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, originated from a publicly available list. During the search process, the COVID-19 pandemic affected Brazil and the rest of the world, which influenced our methodology and results.ResultsA total of 40 psychiatrists participated in the study. The results obtained, although not significant, suggested that psychiatrists with an increased time of practice had more knowledge of advance directives. Nevertheless, less than half of the participants had knowledge about this topic.ConclusionThe number of psychiatrists surveyed indicates the need for further studies on the subject. The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on this study led to findings such as a change in sensitivity when addressing the topic and greater difficulty in contacting professionals.
Highlights
In ancient Rome, citizens could refuse medical treatment and even choose death, provided that within the culture of the time they were considered rational and able to assess the consequences of their act [1]
The Brazilian Federal Council of Medicine (CFM) has taken a stance on advance directives through resolution CFM 1995/2012, providing some support for doctors who are in the process of following or suspending a certain therapeutic path in accordance with the previously expressed wishes of the patient
The present study aims to evaluate the knowledge of advance directives among psychiatrists from the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in addition to using this opportunity of contact to raise awareness of the subject among those who do not know about it and introduce them to Resolution 1995/2012 [6]
Summary
A previously published questionnaire that evaluated the knowledge of medical professors was used. The COVID-19 pandemic affected Brazil and the rest of the world, which influenced our methodology and results
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