Completion of advance directives: Do social work preadmission interviews make a difference?

Yvonne M. Johnson, Vivian L. Stadel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

Objectives: This study tests the efficacy of a preadmission, educational interview on advance directives, in this case, health care proxies (HCPs) offered to elective, orthopedic patients. Method: Using a quasi-experimental design, participants (n = 54) are assigned to either treatment group (who received the educational interview, conducted by a social worker, over and above the federally mandated written information on HCPs) or comparison group (who received the written information only). Results: Logistic regression analysis indicates there is a statistically significantly higher probability that a patient would sign an HCP if assigned to the treatment group than if assigned to the comparison condition. Conclusion: Benefits of educating patients about HCPs as part of routine social work practice are outlined.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)686-696
Number of pages14
JournalResearch on Social Work Practice
Volume17
Issue number6
Early online date12 Jun 2007
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2007

Keywords

  • advance directives
  • health care proxies
  • durable power of attorney for health care
  • health care education
  • end of life

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