Table 2 Factors determining knowledge and attitudes in end-of-life care (corresponding question numbers in the questionnaire are denoted as Q_x in the left column)

Breaking bad news

Knows that doctor should break bad news to patient Q1

175

77.4%

121

73.8%

131

80.9%

165

72.4%

90

73.8%

206

76.9%

86

80.4%

210

74.2%

233

80.1%

63

63.6%

Crude OR*

1.22 (0.76–1.95)

1.61 (0.99–2.63)

0.85 (0.52–1.39)

1.42 (0.82–2.46)

2.29 (1.39–3.79)

Adjusted OR**

–

1.99 (1.19–3.32)

–

–

2.71 (1.6–4.57)

Favours breaking bad news to terminally ill patient Q2

141

62.4%

116

70.7%

109

67.3%

148

64.9%

81

66.4%

176

65.7%

77

72.0%

180

63.6%

195

67.0%

62

62.6%

Crude OR*

0.69 (0.45–1.06)

1.1 (0.72–1.69)

1.0 (0.66–1.62)

1.47 (0.9–2.39)

1.21 (0.75–1.95)

Adjusted OR**

–

–

–

–

–

Advance directives

Adequately aware of advance directives Q3

72

31.9%

36

22.0%

76

46.9%

32

14.0%

33

27.0%

75

28.0%

52

48.6%

56

19.8%

68

23.4%

40

40.4%

Crude OR*

1.66 (1.05–2.64)

5.26 (3.33–9.09)

0.95 (0.59–1.54)

3.83 (2.37–6.19)

0.45 (0.28–0.73)

Adjusted OR**

–

4.15 (2.49–6.94)

–

2.34 (1.39–3.94)

–

Withholding/withdrawing life-sustaining treatment

Favours not placing a metastatic cancer patient on ventilator Q6

120

53.1%

81

49.4%

107

66.0%

94

41.2%

57

46.7%

144

53.7%

66

61.7%

135

47.7%

142

48.8%

59

59.6%

Crude OR*

1.16 (0.78–1.74)

2.77 (1.83–4.22)

0.75 (0.49–1.16)

1.76 (1.12–2.78)

0.65 (0.41–1.03)

Adjusted OR**

–

2.77 (1.83–4.22)

–

–

–

Favours disconnecting a brain-dead patient from ventilator Q7

194

85.8%

139

84.8%

132

81.5%

201

88.2%

96

78.7%

237

88.4%

85

79.4%

248

87.6%

249

85.6%

84

84.8%

Crude OR*

1.09 (0.62–1.92)

0.59 (0.34–1.04)

0.48 (0.27–0.86)

0.55 (0.3–0.98)

1.06 (0.56–2.01)

Adjusted OR**

–

–

0.49 (0.28–0.88)

–

–

Knows that time of death is the time of brain death Q8

38

16.8%

19

11.6%

34

21.0%

23

10.1%

22

18.0%

35

13.1%

20

18.7%

37

13.1%

43

14.8%

14

14.1%

Crude OR*

1.54 (0.85–2.79)

2.37 (1.33–4.2)

1.47 (0.82–2.62)

1.53 (0.84–2.78)

1.05 (0.55–2.02)

Adjusted OR**

–

2.37 (1.33–4.2)

–

–

–

More comfortable withholding than withdrawing ventilation Q9

160

70.8%

114

69.5%

118

72.8%

156

68.4%

97

79.5%

177

66.0%

81

75.7%

193

68.2%

206

70.8%

68

68.7%

Crude OR*

1.06 (0.69–1.65)

1.24 (0.79–1.93)

1.99 (1.2–3.31)

1.45 (0.87–2.41)

1.11 (0.67–1.81)

Adjusted OR**

–

–

1.99 (1.2–3.31)

–

–

DNACPR

Adequately aware of DNACPR Q10

147

65.0%

88

53.7%

105

64.8%

130

57.0%

86

70.5%

149

55.6%

75

70.1%

160

56.5%

170

58.4%

65

65.7%

Crude OR*

1.61 (1.07–2.42)

1.39 (0.92–2.11)

1.91 (1.21–3.02)

1.8 (1.12–2.9)

0.74 (0.46–1.18)

Adjusted OR**

–

–

1.76 (1.11–2.81)

–

–

Aware when to consider DNACPR Q11

53

23.5%

32

19.5%

44

27.2%

41

18.0%

33

27.0%

52

19.4%

36

33.6%

49

17.3%

67

23.0%

18

18.2%

Crude OR*

1.26 (0.77–2.07)

1.7 (1.05–2.76)

1.54 (0.93–2.54)

2.42 (1.46–4.02)

1.35 (0.75–2.4)

Adjusted OR**

–

–

–

2.48 (1.49–4.14)

–

Aware that the medical team makes the DNACPR decision in an unconscious patient Q12

45

19.9%

31

18.9%

30

18.5%

46

20.2%

20

16.4%

56

20.9%

24

22.4%

52

18.4%

51

17.5%

25

25.3%

Crude OR*

1.07 (0.64–1.78)

0.89 (0.54–1.49)

0.74 (0.42–1.3)

1.29 (0.75–2.22)

0.63 (0.37–1.09)

Adjusted OR**

–

–

–

–

–

Knows that DNACPR does not entail withdrawing life-sustaining treatment Q13

152

67.3%

96

58.5%

107

66.0%

141

61.8%

89

73.0%

159

59.3%

78

72.9%

170

60.1%

190

65.3%

58

58.6%

Crude OR*

1.46 (0.96–2.21)

1.2 (0.79–1.83)

1.85 (1.16–2.95)

1.79 (1.1–2.92)

1.33 (0.83–2.12)

Adjusted OR**

–

–

1.74 (1.08–2.79)

1.84 (1.1–3.06)

–

No reluctance to make DNACPR decision Q14

153

67.7%

89

54.3%

114 70.4%

128

56.1%

81

66.4%

161

60.1%

77

72.0%

165

58.3%

181

62.2%

61

61.6%

Crude OR*

1.77 (1.17–2.67)

1.86 (1.21–2.84)

1.31 (0.84–2.05)

1.83 (1.13–2.98)

1.02 (0.64–1.64)

Adjusted OR**

1.64 (1.08–2.5)

1.74 (1.13–2.68)

–

–

–