Knowledge and attitudes of the population about the living wills

To evaluate knowledge of living wills and attitudes to these documents in the populations of two basic health areas in Toledo (Spain). We performed a descriptive, cross-sectional study in primary care centers. Participants consisted of the populations of two basic health areas selected by systematic stratified sampling. Inclusion criteria comprised age between 18 and 80 years, and absence of mental or terminal illnesses. The participants were contacted by telephone before a personal interview was carried out. Data on demographic variables and knowledge of living wills and attitudes to these documents were recorded. A total of 395 participants were interviewed (58% women) with a mean age of 46.22 years (SD: 17.13). The vast majority (88.6%) were unaware of living wills, with no significant differences in sex or religious beliefs. Most (67.8%) would sign a living will in the case of terminal illness whereas 56.3% would sign at the present moment, with no significant differences in sex or religious beliefs. More than half of the men (57.5%) would agree to modify the living will if requested by relatives versus 42.6% of the women. More than three-quarters (76.2%) believed that information on living wills was insufficient. One-third (34.5%) would allow a relative's organs to be donated even without the relative leaving express wishes, while 49.2% would donate their own organs. There was a huge lack of awareness on living wills in our population, which nevertheless proved to be highly receptive to, and in agreement with, the implications of these documents after receiving information on the topic.