Southeast Asian women's attitudes toward completing advance directives.

摘要

Southeast Asians are the fastest growing minority population in the United States, and are less likely to have completed advance directives (ADs) or have end-of-life (EOL) discussions with their family members. A recurring theme is the focus on family-centered decision-making, which is contrary to the Euro-American beliefs of individual autonomy in EOL care decisions. Still, there are many identified barriers to the low completion rates of ADs among Southeast Asians found in the literature. This study utilized a quantitative design examining the attitudes and perceived barriers in completing ADs and making EOL decisions among Southeast Asian women. The results from 70 respondents indicated that most Southeast Asian women had positive attitudes toward the completion of AD, but neither they nor their families had completed an AD. While many of these findings coincide with the current literature, there are important implications for health care professionals working with this population.