[Life support treatment preferences in critical health situations]. / Preferencias de tratamiento de soporte vital en condiciones críticas de salud.

OBJECTIVE: To explore citizens' treatment preferences in critical health situations. METHOD: We performed a cross-sectional study through a questionnaire administered to 306 participants, randomly selected from nursing consultations, cultural centers, nursing homes and the university. Treatment preferences in critical health situations were measured through the Life Support Preferences Questionnaire (LSPQ). A descriptive bivariate and multivariate analysis was performed. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 39.28 years (SD: 24.52), 37% had primary school or no education, and 29.1% were male. Age was inversely correlated with accepting treatments; thus acceptance of life support measures was lower among participants older than 55 years than among the youngest participants and was also lower among those with a lower educational level than those with a higher educational level. No differences were found between men and women. In serious diseases with no possibility of recovery, all age groups rejected treatment. When there was the potential for recovery or for non-invasive treatments, participants aged 21 years old or older would prefer to be treated. CONCLUSION: There is wide variability among the population when accepting or rejecting life support treatment. The view that treatment should be accepted at all costs is inappropriate. Disseminating knowledge of advance directives and the use of these documents is recommended as the most effective way to respect patients' wishes when they are unable to express themselves.

[Validation of the Life-Support Preferences Questionnaire (LSPQ) for its use in Spain]. / Validación del Cuestionario de Preferencias de Soporte Vital (LSPQ) para su uso en la población española.

OBJECTIVE: To validate the Life-Support Preferences Questionnaire (LSPQ) for its use in Spain. DESIGN: Three-stage study: a) translation and linguistic adaptation; b) evaluation of its validity; and c) validation of its psychometric properties. SETTING: Nine primary care nursing clinics and 2 university classes in Granada, Spain. PARTICIPANTS: Patients who were of age and were first- or second-year university students, without any cognitive deterioration. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: The equivalence of the translation and the original was checked by bilingual people; its linguistic and grammatical standard was appraised by experts in Spanish. The validity of the questionnaire was evaluated by 15 judges-experts and 20 patients; linguistic complexity (Szigriszt index); stability in time (McNemar test); internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha). RESULTS: a) 2 bilingual people did a translation that was reviewed by 6 experts in Spanish. After alterations suggested by the experts, the bilingual people ratified its equivalence with the original; b) 15 experts affirmed that each item was a good indicator of care preferences at the end of life; c) 20 users confirmed the acceptability and comprehensibility of the questionnaire; d) reliability: 299 participants out of the 369 initially selected filled in the questionnaire; and e) its stability was 0.92; and its internal consistency, 0.85. CONCLUSION: The LSPQ questionnaire in Spanish (LSPQ-e) is a reliable tool, designed to help patients to clarify their care and treatment preferences at the end of their lives.

Validación del Cuestionario de Preferencias de Soporte Vital (LSPQ) para su uso en la población española / Validation of the life-support preferences questionnaire (LSPQ) for its use in Spain

Objetivo. Validar el Cuestionario de Preferencias de Soporte Vital (LSPQ ) para su uso en población española. Diseño. Estudio realizado en tres fases: a) traducción y adaptación idiomática; b) evaluación de su validez, y c) validación de sus propiedades psicométricas. Emplazamiento. El estudio se ha llevado a cabo en 9 consultas de enfermería de atención primaria y en 2 aulas universitarias de Granada. Participantes. Se incluyeron pacientes mayores de edad y estudiantes universitarios de primer y segundo cursos, sin deterioro cognitivo. Mediciones principales. Equivalencia de la traducción con el original verificada por bilingües. Corrección lingüística y gramatical evaluada por expertos en lengua española. Validez del cuestionario evaluada por 15 jueces-expertos y 20 pacientes. Complejidad lingüística (índice de Szigriszt). Estabilidad temporal (test de McNemar). Consistencia interna (alfa de Cronbach). Resultados. a) 2 personas bilingües realizaron una traducción que fue revisada por 6 expertos en lengua española. Tras las modificaciones que sugirieron, las personas bilingües aseguraron su equivalencia con el original; b) 15 expertos afirmaron que cada ítem era buen indicador de las preferencias de cuidado al final de la vida; c) 20 usuarios confirmaron la aceptabilidad y comprensibilidad del cuestionario; d) en relación con la fiabilidad, completaron el cuestionario 299 participantes (de los 369 inicialmente seleccionados), y e) la estabilidad del cuestionario es de 0,92 y su consistencia interna de 0,85. Conclusión. El cuestionario LSPQ en español (LSPQ-e) es una herramienta fiable diseñada para ayudar a los pacientes a clarificar sus preferencias de cuidado y tratamiento al final de la vida

Objective. To validate the Life-Support Preferences Questionnaire (LSPQ) for its use in Spain. Design. Three-stage study: a) translation and linguistic adaptation; b) evaluation of its validity; and c) validation of its psychometric properties. Setting. Nine primary care nursing clinics and 2 university classes in Granada, Spain. Participants. Patients who were of age and were first- or second-year university students, without any cognitive deterioration. Main measurements. The equivalence of the translation and the original was checked by bilingual people; its linguistic and grammatical standard was appraised by experts in Spanish. The validity of the questionnaire was evaluated by 15 judges-experts and 20 patients; linguistic complexity (Szigriszt index); stability in time (McNemar test); internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha). Results. a) 2 bilingual people did a translation that was reviewed by 6 experts in Spanish. After alterations suggested by the experts, the bilingual people ratified its equivalence with the original; b) 15 experts affirmed that each item was a good indicator of care preferences at the end of life; c) 20 users confirmed the acceptability and comprehensibility of the questionnaire; d) reliability: 299 participants out of the 369 initially selected filled in the questionnaire; and e) its stability was 0.92; and its internal consistency, 0.85. Conclusion. The LSPQ questionnaire in Spanish (LSPQ-e) is a reliable tool, designed to help patients to clarify their care and treatment preferences at the end of their lives