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. 2022 Aug 25:67:1604676.
doi: 10.3389/ijph.2022.1604676. eCollection 2022.

Knowledge Gaps in End-of-Life Care and Planning Options Among Older Adults in Switzerland

Sarah Vilpert  1   2 , Gian Domenico Borasio  3 , Jürgen Maurer  1
Affiliations

Knowledge Gaps in End-of-Life Care and Planning Options Among Older Adults in Switzerland

Sarah Vilpert et al. Int J Public Health. .

Abstract

Objectives: Good knowledge about end-of-life (EOL) care options helps in discussing and planning important aspects of the end of life in advance and contributes to improved well-being among dying patients and their families. Methods: Our study explores knowledge levels of EOL care and planning options and its sociodemographic and regional patterning using nationally representative data from respondents aged 55+ of wave 6 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe in Switzerland (n = 2,199). Results: Respondents answered correctly on average to just under four out of eight questions regarding EOL care options. Women, individuals with higher education levels, and those living with a partner showed a higher EOL knowledge score, whereas the score is lower among older adults (75+) and individuals living in French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland. Conclusion: In view of the significant EOL knowledge gaps among older adults in Switzerland, further education efforts on EOL care options are needed, with particular attention to the population groups most affected.

Keywords: advance directives; assisted suicide; knowledge; older adults; palliative care.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Distribution of the knowledge score of end-of-life care and planning options among adults aged 55+ in Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), Switzerland, 2015 (n = 2,199).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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