Prospective multicentre cross-sectional audit among older Australians accessing health and residential aged care services: protocol for a national advance care directive prevalence study.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Advance care planning (ACP), an ongoing communication and planning process, aims to clarify a person's values and preferences, so these guide decision-making if the person becomes unable to make his or her own decisions. Ideally, ACP results in completion of advance care directives (ACD), documents completed by competent people outlining their values, treatment preferences and/or appointment of a substitute decision-maker (SDM). ACDs are most effective at the point of care, where they can be used to inform treatment decisions. Australian governments fund initiatives and have developed policy to increase ACD completion rates. However, little is known about the prevalence of ACDs at the point of care in Australian health services, making ACP evaluation efforts difficult.

SUBMITTER: Detering KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6830836 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature