VOLUNTAD ANTICIPADA EN PACIENTES CON ENFERMEDADES TERMINALES

Abstract

Introduction: The increase in terminally ill patients in emergency departments has meant that clinicians are inclined to identify them. With the progress of medicine can be kept alive and for a long time for these patients in a state of comfort, the that would help to know the will of the patients is the advance directive letter, a document that anyone manifests a free request, conscious and not to undergo treatments and / or medical procedures that favor medical futility. In the adult emergency department of the regional hospital Adolfo Lopez Mateos, about 70% of patients entering to the observation area are carriers of chronic degenerative diseases of these 20% are terminally ill, unknowing how many of them do not want to be engaged in diagnostic and therapeutic maneuvers in the final stage of his life. Objective: To determine the number of patients with terminal illness who are admitted in the emergency room and have signed the advance directive letter. Material and Methods: A prospective study was conducted with a group of patients included from July 2009 to July 2010 with carriers of terminal illnesses. A written questionnaire was applied to determine if an advance directive letter had been drafted and if not why and which still does not. The method for sample size was made according to the Z value formula. Results: The average age was 69 years, most patients were not in full use of his mental faculties at the time of admission. Most had no knowledge of the law of advance and 3.38% of patients had advance directives letter. Conclusions: We demonstrated that a very small percentage of patients with terminal diseases, had advance directive letter, that as a result of ignorance of the existence of the advance directive act, thus greater dissemination of the existence of this is required, as having greater knowledge would increase the amount of patients in terminal disease with the advance directive letter and therefore decrease therapeutic futility.