Advance Directive Choices Among Registered Nurses in Tennessee: Use of Johnson's Behavioral System Model.
Abstract
The Patient Self-Determination Act was introduced to support autonomy through the use of Advance Directives (ADs), in hopes of ensuring people a more compassionate and dignified death, yet use of a living will or health care power of attorney remains low, 15-20%. One inherent limiting factor in AD implementation appears to be lack of patient-provider communication, reportedly due to health care professionals' discomfort raising such issues. Since nurses are the largest group of health care professionals, the future responsibility for initiating AD conversations may likely fall to them. According to Johnson's Behavioral System Model, nurses use themselves as a primary resource when assisting patients to recognize alternative choices. However, research shows that nurses are not very different from the general population regarding AD implementation. This non-experimental study explored responses of a random sample (N = 131) of Tennessee Registered Nurses (RNs) regarding how their personal CHOICES were related to professional ACTIONS concerning AD implementation. Results from a mailed self-report questionnaire, "Your Views On Advance Directives", indicated that while RNs overwhelmingly support ADs, the majority had not personally implemented one.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA364088
Entities
People
- Brenda J. Morgan
Organizations
- University of Tennessee system