The HIV-specific advance directive.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether persons living with HIV find a disease-specific advance directive more acceptable than a generic directive. DESIGN: Randomized clinical trial. SETTING: HIV consumer organization and hospital-based HIV clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Volunteer sample of persons with HIV. INTERVENTIONS: The disease-specific HIV Living Will, the generic Centre for Bioethics Living Will, or both. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of 101 participants who received both advance directives, 78 (77.2%) preferred the disease-specific HIV Living Will and 23 (22.8%) preferred the generic Centre for Bioethics Living Will (p < .001). Most participants who preferred the HIV Living Will did so because it was more specific or relevant to their situation. CONCLUSIONS: Persons living with HIV prefer a disease-specific to a generic advance directive. They should be offered a disease-specific advance directive. Our findings should also encourage investigators to develop and evaluate disease-specific advance directives in other clinical settings.