profession
Two-thirds of Marylanders lack advance directives
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted March 1, 2010
A survey of adult patients in Maryland found that about 34% reported having an advance directive to help their doctors and families know what kind of care to give them should they become incapacitated.
White patients were twice as likely as black patients to have advance directives, according to the survey, whose results were published online Jan. 27 in the journal Health Policy (link).
Older patients also were more likely to have advance directives.
Twenty-seven percent of patients without advance directives said they were not familiar with the documents, and 11% said they did not know how to obtain them. Study authors said making it easier to get advance directives and raising awareness about their value could change the trend.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/03/01/prbf0301.htm.
