Dr Shiva Khaleghparast1, Dr Ehsan Shamsi-Gooshki2, Dr Alireza Parsapour3
1Cardiovascular Nursing Research Center, Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran., Tehran, Iran, 2Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Lecturer, Monash Bioethics Center, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia., Melbourne, Australia, 3Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. , Tehran, Iran
Biography:
Bio to come
Abstract:
Aims:
Advance directives, emphasizing patient autonomy, are legal and ethical mechanisms that specify patients’ treatment preferences in the absence of their decision-making capacity. Researchers are therefore working to examine individuals’ preferences regarding advance directives.
Methods:
This cross-sectional descriptive study investigated the preferences of patients at Rajaie Cardiovascular, Medical and Research Institute’s adult cardiology clinics in Tehran, Iran regarding advance directives during 2023-2024. Continuous sampling with specific inclusion criteria was used. The study comprised three phases: obtaining ethical approval and developing preference form for advance directives, evaluating the validity and reliability of the tool, and distributing the forms among patients.
Results:
Out of 380 respondents, 189 (49.7%) were male and 191 (50.3%) were female. The mean age was 44.94 years with a standard deviation of 12.95, ranging from 20 to 82 years. Two hundred participants (52.6%) expressed a desire to document their future care and treatment preferences. The logistic regression analysis showed that controlling for religious views, those who had thought about their own or a relative’s death were 2.33 times more likely to choose “receive only comfort and palliative care” compared to those who had not (P-value = 0.025, OR = 2.33). Additionally, controlling for thoughts about death, highly religious individuals were 0.23 times less likely than non-religious individuals to desire “only comfort and palliative care” (P-value = 0.011, OR = 0.23).
Conclusions:
Due to the novelty of advance directives in Iran and the lack of studies, further research is needed to explore social, cultural, legal, and healthcare system challenges.
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