The right to information for the terminally ill patient

Objectives-To analyse the attitudes of medical personnel towards terminally ill patients and their right to be fully informed. Design-Self-administered questionnaire composed of 56 closed questions. Setting-Three general hospitals and eleven health centres in Granada (Spain). The sample comprised 168 doctors and 207 nurses. Results-A high percentage of medical personnel (24.1%) do not think that informing the terminally ill would help them face their illness with greater serenity. Eighty-four per cent think the patient's own home is the best place to die: 8.9% of the subjects questioned state that they would not like to be informed of an incurable illness. Conclusion-In our opinion any information given should depend on the patient's personality, the stage of the illness and family circumstances. Our study confirms that a hospital is not the ideal environment for attending to the needs of the terminally ill and their families.