| |
| author |
Brenda Hall
| | title |
Social Demographics and Advance Directives: Problematizing a Paradigm
| | abstract |
The Patient Self Determination Act of 1990 was enacted to protect the rights of individuals to autonomous decision-making for end-of-life treatment
preferences. After almost thirty years, many individuals and families still struggle with end-of-life care planning, a lack of continuity of care, and poor
communication with healthcare practitioners about their treatment wishes at the end of life, believed due to the failure to complete an advance directive.
Numerous studies have been conducted to identify barriers to completing an advance directive and have indicated a correlation exists between age, sex, race,
ethnicity, and nationality, and the completion of advance directives. This relationship has been debated in other studies, and findings suggest there are
other variables that influence the completion of advance directives. Drawing upon a literature review, prior research, and a quantitative analysis of a very
diverse population, the data obtained through this research study doesn't support that a correlation exist between age, sex, race, and ethnicity and the
completion of advance directives. Furthermore, the metrics and analysis paradigm concerned with grouping of individuals into demographic categories have not
demonstrated that these groups or categories are germane to individual autonomy and decision-making but further perpetuates the notion of demographic causality
and generalizations. The objective of this project was to analyze why a relationship between social demographics and the completion of advance directives does
not exist, and to propose exploring autonomy as a much more intricate concept influenced by social, legal, and health care systems.
| | school |
The Caspersen School of Graduate Studies, Drew University
| | degree |
D.M.H. (2019)
|
| advisor |
Paul Kadetz
|
| committee |
Jeanne Derwin
|
| full text | BHall.pdf - requires Drew uLogin |
| |
