Background
Methods
Study design and participants
Data collection
Data analyses
Results
Characteristics of participants
Sociodemographic factors | n (%) |
---|---|
Age* | |
18–44 | 468 (42.0) |
45–59 | 426 (38.2) |
>60 | 220 (19.7) |
sex | |
male | 387 (34.7) |
female | 727 (65.3) |
education | |
high school and below | 354 (31.8) |
associate’s degree | 321 (28.8) |
bachelor degree and above | 439 (39.4) |
religious belief | |
No religious belief | 1006 (90.3) |
Catholic/Christian/Buddhist/Taoist | 108 (9.7) |
marital status | |
single | 77 (6.9) |
widowed/divorced/separated | 95 (8.5) |
cohabitation/married | 942 (84.6) |
house type | |
private house | 895 (80.3) |
public house/rented house/others | 219 (19.7) |
occupation | |
medical related job | 76 (6.8) |
Non-medical related job | 1038 (93.2) |
Economic level | |
can’t make ends meet/not enough | 188 (16.9) |
enough/more than enough | 926 (83.1) |
medical insurance | |
No | 352 (31.6) |
Yes | 762 (68.4) |
Social pension | |
No | 836 (75.0) |
Yes | 278 (25.0) |
main breadwinner of the family | |
myself | 519 (46.6) |
spouse/son/daughter/parents/others | 595 (53.4) |
chronic disease | |
yes | 282 (25.3) |
no | 832 (74.7) |
terminally ill | |
yes | 16 (1.4) |
no | 1098 (98.6) |
self-rated health | |
very good/good | 452 (40.6) |
very bad/bad | 662 (59.4) |
Be the main care giver of family members with chronic disease | |
no family members with chronic disease | 601 (53.9) |
yes | 513 (46.1) |
be the main care giver of family members with terminal disease | |
no family members with terminal disease | 948 (85.1) |
yes | 166 (14.9) |
Knowledge and preferences for ADs and end-of-life care
Items | n (%) |
---|---|
Have you heard of AD* before? | |
Yes | 203 (18.2) |
No | 911 (81.8) |
If you have a chance to make an AD which is legal, will you make one? | |
Willing/fairly willing | 965 (86.6) |
Reluctant/fairly reluctant | 149 (13.4) |
Reasons to make an AD (multiple choice questions) | |
To ease the burden on my family to decide for me | 691 (62.0) |
It’s good to make my family members know my EOL care preferences in advance | 593 (53.2) |
It is good to arrange my future affairs in advance | 575 (51.6) |
Others | 21 (1.9) |
Reasons to reject AD (multiple choice questions) | |
It is too early to make one | 528 (47.4) |
The law is not perfect | 371 (33.3) |
It is no use to make one | 371 (33.3) |
Not familiar with it | 330 (29.6) |
My family members will arrange all the affairs for me | 206 (18.5) |
My decision may change | 165 (14.8) |
It may bring bad luck if make one | 83 (7.5) |
Others | 41 (3.7) |
Have you heard of Life-sustaining treatment? | |
No | 414 (37.2) |
Yes | 700 (62.8) |
If you were terminally ill, you will prefer … | |
Only choose appropriate hospice care that can provide comfort, even though it can’t prolong life | 643 (57.7) |
Euthanasia | 201 (18.0) |
Give up treatment | 176 (15.8) |
To prolong life as much as possible even with severe pain or uncomfortable | 52 (4.7) |
Others | 42 (3.8) |
Who will be designated as your proxy decision maker if you become unconscious? | |
Spouse | 588 (52.8) |
Son/daughter | 298 (26.8) |
Doctor in charge | 112 (10.1) |
Parents | 68 (6.1) |
Other family members | 28 (2.5) |
Other persons | 17 (1.5) |
Friends | 3 (0.3) |
Who should decide whether the patient should receive life-sustaining treatment? | |
Patient, family member and doctor in charge decide together | 482 (43.3) |
Patient and doctor in charge decide together | 154 (13.8) |
Patient | 143 (12.8) |
Family member and doctor in charge decide together | 98 (8.8) |
Patient and family member decide together | 81 (7.3) |
Doctor in charge | 80 (7.2) |
Family member | 76 (6.8) |
Where do you want to live your rest life and die? | |
My home | 543 (48.7) |
Hospice care center | 415 (37.3) |
Hospital | 64 (5.7) |
Other place | 58 (5.2) |
Nursing home | 34 (3.1) |
Would you still prefer to die at home if you can’t get enough support from family members or medical staff? | |
Yes | 232 (42.7) |
No | 311 (57.3) |
If you were diagnosed with incurable disease, which kind of following things would be the most important for you to live your rest life? (multiple choices) | |
Surrounded by spouse/relatives and friends | 761 (68.3) |
Not to be a burden to others | 615 (55.2) |
Having privacy and died with dignity | 576 (51.7) |
Be in familiar environment | 516 (46.3) |
Can be helped by medical professionals | 414 (37.2) |
Can be supported by professional medical staff in emergency | 342 (30.7) |
My own wishes can be heard and respected | 329 (29.5) |
Regional, spiritual and cultural requirements can be met | 124 (11.1) |
If you were diagnosed with incurable disease, would you want to know your diagnosis and prognosis? | |
Yes | 1028 (92.3) |
No | 86 (7.7) |
If your family member were diagnosed with incurable disease, would you tell him/her the actual diagnosis and prognosis? | |
Yes | 551 (49.5) |
No | 563 (50.5) |
Whom should be involved with end of life treatment and care discussion with medical staff if a patient was diagnosed with a terminal disease? | |
Patient and his/her family member | 734 (65.9) |
Only patient himself/herself | 295 (26.5) |
Only patient’s family member | 85 (7.6) |
Factors related to the adult Population’s preference for an AD
Independent Predictors (Willing vs Reluctant) | OR† | 95%CI | P |
---|---|---|---|
Educational Level | <.001 | ||
High school level or lower (reference group) | |||
Associate’s degree | 2.448 | 1.485–4.037 | <.001 |
Bachelor degree and higher | 2.382 | 1.495–3.795 | <.001 |
Have heard of AD*? | |||
Yes | 1.567 | 1.224–2.007 | <.001 |
No (reference group) | |||
Self-rated health condition | |||
very bad/bad | 1.002 | 1.001–1.003 | 0.001 |
very good/good (reference group) | |||
Marital status | <.001 | ||
cohabitation/married (reference group) | |||
single | 0.149 | 0.083–0.267 | <.001 |
widowed/divorced/separated | 0.405 | 0.236–0.695 | 0.001 |