Cancer Patient Perception of the Living Will: Report of a Pilot Survey

A pilot survey of sixty-four patients with late stage malignancy, all of whom had signed a living will, was conducted. The purpose of the living will was to have resuscitative measures withheld when cardiorespiratory arrest occurred. Of those patients 70.3 percent surveyed, were grateful for the opportunity to sign a living will and thereby maintain autonomy over their terminal care; 20.3 percent were apparently either indifferent or unwilling to discuss their having signed a living will; and 9.4 percent appeared disturbed by their recent signing of this document. The implications of these data are discussed.