Introduction:

Concepts related to end-of-life decisions, such as euthanasia, palliative care, advance directives and therapeutic obstinacy, are poorly understood by the general population, which, when facing a terminal situation, is not prepared to choose the best option.

Objective:

Pilot study (n = 544) to find out what the open population understands about terms used in end-of-life situations in four cities of the Mexican Republic.

Method:

Survey via Internet with 18 questions about different terms. It was a descriptive, cross-sectional study. Statistical analysis was carried out.

Results:

People older than 18 years who were not engaged in health-related professional activities were selected.

Conclusions:

Most terms related to end-of-life decisions were found not to be interesting to or understood by a part of the population. The least recognized term was therapeutic obstinacy (62.8%), and the most widely known, palliative care (91%); there was confusion between the terms euthanasia and assisted suicide (47.8%). Age and education level had more influence in the results, than other demographic variables.