Through a qualitative approach, this thesis seeks to gain a better understanding of end-oflife
healthcare decision-making among physicians as well as among non-physician elderly
individuals. I investigate both attitudes and knowledge regarding advance directives, decision-making
concerning end-of-life healthcare, and the patient-doctor relationship in order to
understand why physicians make relatively more conservative end-of-life healthcare decisions
than the general public does. Ten non-physician individuals living in retirement communities
primarily in the Chapel Hill/Durham area and ten physicians of different specialties working in
this region were interviewed. Using non-physician participants’ and physicians’ own words, this
study explains the different factors important to these two groups in the end-of-life healthcare
decision-making process. Results indicate that the current healthcare system regarding end-of-life
healthcare defaults to life-prolonging treatments which non-physician individuals are
generally ill-informed about and do not want. Physicians’ backgrounds and experiences greatly
influence their personal decision-making and their ability to successfully navigate the healthcare
system. Non-physicians and physicians did not desire heroic measures and the role of families
was essential to both groups. These results suggest that non-physician individuals are generally
not receiving the end-of-life circumstances they desire due to ineffectiveness of the PSDA and
the unsuccessful implementation of advance directives as well as barriers in communication.Bachelor of Art