Introduction:

Law number 18473 on advance directives was enacted in Uruguay in 2009, being regulated four years later. This shows a propensity towards autonomy and planning for the future of patients.

Objective:

To determine health professionals' knowledge of the law, its use in the clinic and access to the advance directives form.

Method:

Descriptive research, by means of an anonymous survey of Uruguayan general practitioners and specialists in activity, sent through social networks.

Results:

363 responses were obtained, with 97 % of the professionals who were attending patients, 79.5 % had not issued the document and more than 50 % were unaware of the law.

Conclusion:

Knowledge of advance directives in the Uruguayan medical profession is scarce and its application to patients is even scarcer.

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