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Table 1 Interview guide

From: To what extent are the wishes of a signatory reflected in their advance directive: a qualitative analysis

Areas of interest

Questions

Reason/motivation

1. Was there a special reason why you made an advance directive?

 Prompts:

   a. Can you tell me more about this reason?

   b. Did you make your advance directive before you were given this diagnosis or after?

   c. What do you hope for, now that you have an advance directive?

   d. Can you tell me the most important things you want to say?

Support/advice received/information of others

2. Did you seek assistance in making your advance directive?

 Prompts:

   a. (if yes) Who helped you?

   b. Why did you ask particularly this person?

   c. (if no doctor was mentioned) Did you also seek assistance from a doctor?

3. Does your doctor know about your advance directive and its contents?

Applicability

4. Did you consider at which point in time you want others to act according to your advance directive?

 Prompts:

   a. (if yes) What do you have in mind? The very end of life, or situations where you are no longer able to express yourself or other?

   b. Did you express certain preferences in the context of particular (probable future/already existing) diseases?

   c. (if yes) Will these count throughout the course of the disease or just in certain phases?

5. Do you want the contents of your advance directive to be applicable for emergencies or serious accidents?

Values

6. Are there values which have been of particular importance in your life?

7. Are there values which you disapprove of?

8. Did these values which are important for you have an influence on your advance directive?

9. Do these values also determine your end-of-life preferences?

Treatment preferences/situative context/decision-making

10. What is of particular importance for you when it comes to the end of your life?

11. Is there something that you would not wish to happen under any circumstances and that those who are acting on your advance directive should respect?

12. Is there something that you would categorically wish to happen and that those acting on your advance directive should respect?

13. Is this true for all situations you can think of?

14. Are there situations or scenarios in which you would prefer that decisions are made by others rather than you?

Effect of having completed an AD

15. Does having an advance directive make you feel secure?

16. Have you since been thinking more often about death and dying?

Amendments/Changes

17. Have you resigned your advance directive since you first made it?

18. Have you changed it since first making it?

 Prompts:

   a. (if no) Why didn’t you change anything?

   b. (if yes) What did you change?

   c. Why did you change this?

   d. Did you seek assistance in making these changes?

   e. (if yes) From whom and why?

Proxy/durable power of attorney

19. Do you have a proxy?

20. Why did/didn’t you appoint one?

21. What do you expect from this durable power of attorney?

22. Whom did you appoint as proxy?

23. Why this person?

Closure

24. Thank you for your participation. How do you feel after this interview? Do you have any questions?