Knowledge and attitudes of health care social workers regarding advance directives

This cross sectional investigation describes the knowledge and attitudes of health care social workers regarding advance directives and explores facto rs that influence them. As major contributors to quality patient care, the level of knowledge and attitudes held by health care social workers regardi ng health care policy mandates are important. Mail survey methods were used to collect data from a systematic random sample (n = 324) of social worker s throughout one mid-western state. Results indicate that the majority of h ealth care serial workers have high to moderate levels of knowledge about a dvance directives and hold positive attitudes regarding the policy. Social workers with more experience working with the elderly had higher levels of knowledge. Those employed in nursing hr,mcs and hospice settings had more p ositive attitudes than did those working in other health care facilities.