This article seeks to shed light on the beliefs that influence nurses' inte
ntion of respecting or not respecting an advance directive document, namely
a living will or a durable power of attorney. Nurses' beliefs were measure
d using a 44-statement questionnaire. The sample was made up of 306 nurses
working either in a long-term care centre or in a hospital centre offering
general and specialized care in the province of Quebec. The results indicat
e that nurses have a strong intention of complying with advance directives
written by patients. The analysis also shows that four variables determine
the strength of this intention: respect for autonomy; the location of the w
orkplace; justice; and the dimension of relationships and emotions. Althoug
h these documents favour the expression of patients' wishes, nurses should
be aware that they do not systematically guarantee respect of a patient's a
utonomy, nor do they replace a relationship based on trust between patients
and health care professionals.