Knowledge, opinion and attitude about the Italian law on advance directives: a population-based survey

Introduction Advance directives are legal documents which individuals draw up to declare their treatment preferences and to appoint well-informed proxies to safeguard patient autonomy in critical situations when that individual is temporarily or no longer able to communicate these preferences. On December 22, 2017, the Italian Parliament approved the first law on end of life (“Provisions for informed consent and advance directives” L.219/2017), after a heated public and political debate lasting almost twenty years. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the awareness, knowledge, opinions and attitudes regarding Italian Law 219/2017 and advance directives among the Italian population 15 months after its entry into force. Methods A nationwide population-based survey was conducted by a certified public opinion survey company. A sample size of 2000 interviews was planned. A structured questionnaire was developed to investigate awareness, opinions and attitudes concerning the law by a multiprofessional research team. The agreed-on version was pretested on a sample of 70 selected participants. Results The sample included 2000 valid interviews; 70.1% of respondents declared they had heard about the law on informed consent and advance directives. Respondents were asked to express their overall opinion on the law’s utility and importance: 88% declared that the law was quite or very important and 76% had a positive attitude towards making/registering advance directives. Conclusion The principles of Italian Law 219/2017 are aligned with the ethical sentiment of the vast majority of the Italian population. It is crucial to stimulate discussion to increase knowledge and awareness in order to increase the number of advance directives.