Development and Validation of a Questionnaire investigating the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Healthcare Workers in the Field of Anesthesiology concerning the Italian Law on Advance Healthcare Directives: a Pilot Study

Advance healthcare directives are legal documents, in which the patient, foreseeing a potential loss of capacity and autonomy, makes in advance decisions regarding future care and, in particular, end-of-life arrangements. In Italy, advance healthcare directives  are regulated by the Law 219 of 22 December 2017. Objectives of the study were: i) to develop and validate a questionnaire dedicated to evaluate the knowledge of the Law in a sample of 98 anesthesiologists, and ii) to shed light on the process of health-related decision-making and its determinants (age, gender, doctor/training resident, religious beliefs). A second part of the survey  not analyzed  in the present study, aimed to assess, through two simulated clinical scenarios, how patient' directives, relatives and the medical staff could influence physicians' clinical decision. Overall Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the questionnaire resulted 0.83. Three factors explaining up to 38.4% of total variance (communication and relationship with the patient; critical life-threatening situations and binding nature of the advance directive for the physician; and involvement of patients). Most of the doctors (58.7%) did not fully know the recent legislative provision. The lack of knowledge is critical in view of the specificity of the clinical area investigated (anesthesiology and intensive care), which has to cope with ethical issues. An adequate revision and implementation of the traditional curricula could help medical students and trainees develop the aptitudes and skills needed in their future profession.