ArticleCureus2025
Assessment of Resident Physicians' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Concerning Advance Care Planning: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Article in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background Advance Care Planning (ACP) is an essential component of patient-centered care, particularly in end-of-life contexts. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to ACP among resident physicians at St. Mary's Hospital, St. Louis, USA, with a focus on perceived skillfulness, comfort level, cultural and religious influences, and perceived barriers to ACP discussions. Methods A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted using an online questionnaire distributed to all Internal Medicine and Family Medicine residents at St. Mary's Hospital. Of the 48 invited residents, 36 completed the survey. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics via Excel (Microsoft® Corp., Redmond, WA, USA). Ethical exemption was granted by the Institutional Review Board. Results While 61.1% (n = 22) of respondents reported prior training and knowledge of ACP, a significant proportion lacked awareness of state laws and documentation procedures for advance directives. Despite encountering more than five patients weekly, 94.4% (n = 34) had ACP discussions with only one to two patients. Although 86.1% (n = 31) expressed a positive attitude and willingness to engage in ACP discussions, only 33.3% (n = 12) routinely involved family members. Cultural background influenced ACP communication for 41.7% (n = 15) of residents, while 72.2% (n = 26) reported no influence from their religious background. Most residents felt skillful and comfortable discussing core ACP topics, particularly cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission, and disease prognosis. However, assisting patients in completing advance directives remained a notable area of lower perceived competence. Comfort levels were highest in areas where residents also felt most skilled. Conclusion The findings highlight a gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application of ACP, particularly in legal aspects and documentation. Despite positive attitudes and self-reported competence in communication, limited engagement with patients and families indicates a need for more targeted training, especially in legal frameworks and documentation procedures. Enhancing these areas could better equip residents to conduct meaningful and comprehensive ACP discussions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.