Who should talk with patients about their end-of-life care wishes? A nationwide survey of the Hungarian population

Objective To explore the needs and opportunities of the general population to communicate their end-of-life care wishes and to investigate what roles are assigned to healthcare providers and family members in end-of-life care discussions. Design A cross-sectional social survey was carried out in Hungary. Descriptive analysis and analysis of variance were performed. Setting Nationwide survey of the Hungarian general population. Subject The sample (n = 1100) was designed to represent the adult population as per distribution by gender, age and geographical region. Main outcome measures Needs and opportunities of the general population to communicate end-of-life care wishes. Results 72% of participants found it important to discuss their end-of-life care wishes with someone. Six out of ten believed that it was also the GPs' task to talk with the patients about their end-of-life care wishes. An almost equal level of engagement was expected from healthcare providers (80%) -especially physicians (72%)- and family members (75%) in end-of-life conversations. However, only 36% of participants felt that there was someone among their healthcare providers, and 56% of them had a family member or friend with whom they could speak openly about death, dying and preparing for death. Conclusion Compared to their needs, the general population had fewer opportunities to speak about death, dying and preparing for death. Training programs for healthcare providers, particularly GPs, and public awareness campaigns may support the broader application of advance care planning in Hungary.