scholarly journals Building on sand: digital technologies for care coordination and advance care planning

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjspcare-2021-003304
Author(s):  
Matthew John Allsop ◽  
Karen Chumbley ◽  
Jacqueline Birtwistle ◽  
Michael I Bennett ◽  
Lucy Pocock
Keyword(s):  
Advance Care Planning ◽  
Care Coordination ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Delivery Of Care ◽  
Care Plans ◽  
Coordination Systems ◽  
Advance Care

Approaches using digital technologies to support advance care planning (ACP) and care coordination are being used in palliative and end of life care. While providing opportunities to facilitate increases in the completeness, sharing and availability of care plans, the evidence base underpinning their use remains limited. We outline an approach that continues to be developed in England; Electronic Palliative Care Coordination Systems (EPaCCS). Stages governing their optimal use are outlined alongside unanswered questions with relevance across technology-mediated approaches to ACP. Research has a critical role in determining if technology-mediated approaches to ACP, such as EPaCCS, could be useful tools to support the delivery of care for patients with chronic and progressive illnesses.

scholarly journals Planning for tomorrow whilst living for today: the views of people with dementia and their families on advance care planning

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (12) ◽  
pp. 2011-2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Dickinson ◽  
Claire Bamford ◽  
Catherine Exley ◽  
Charlotte Emmett ◽  
Julian Hughes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Advance Care Planning ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Care Plans ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Advance Care ◽  
The Right

ABSTRACTBackground:Advance care planning (ACP) is increasingly prominent in many countries; however, the evidence base for its acceptability and effectiveness is limited especially in conditions where cognition is impaired, as in dementia.Method:This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with people with mild to moderate dementia (n = 17) and family carers (n = 29) to investigate their views about planning for their future generally and ACP specifically.Results:People with dementia and their families make a number of plans for the future. Most people undertook practical, personal, financial, and legal planning. However participants did not make formal advance care plans with the exception of appointing someone to manage their financial affairs. Five barriers to undertaking ACP were identified: lack of knowledge and awareness, difficulty in finding the right time, a preference for informal plans over written documentation, constraints on choice around future care, and lack of support to make choices about future healthcare.Conclusions:Health and social care professionals can build on people's preferences for informal planning by exploring the assumptions underlying them, providing information about the possible illness trajectory and discussing the options of care available. Health and social care professionals also have a role to play in highlighting the aspects of ACP which seem to be most relevant to the wishes and aspirations of people with dementia.

scholarly journals Advance care planning evaluation: a scoping review of best research practice

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjspcare-2021-003193
Author(s):  
Sophie Gloeckler ◽  
Tanja Krones ◽  
Nikola Biller-Andorno
Keyword(s):  
Advance Care Planning ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Retrospective Chart Review ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Completion Rates ◽  
Future Care ◽  
Actual Care ◽  
Advance Care

Various indicators have been used to evaluate advance care planning, including completion rates, type of care received, and satisfaction. Recent consensus suggests, though, that receiving care consistent with one’s goals is the primary outcome of advance care planning and assessment should capture this metric. Goal concordant care is challenging to measure, and there is little clarity about how best to do so. The aim of this scoping review is to explore what methods have been used to measure goal concordant care in the evaluation of advance care planning. PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Cochrane were searched in September 2020 to identify studies that aimed to track whether advance care planning affected the likelihood of patients receiving care that matched their preferred care. 135 original studies were included for review. Studies used retrospective chart review (36%, n=49), questionnaire (36%, n=48) and interview (31%, n=42), focusing on both patients and proxies. Studies considered both actual care received (55%, n=74) and hypothetical scenarios anticipating possible future care (49%, n=66); some studies did both. While the reviewed studies demonstrate the possibility of working towards a solid methodology, there were significant weaknesses. Notably, studies often lacked enough reporting clarity to be reproducible and, relatedly, key concepts, such as end-of-life or preferred care, were left undefined. The recommendations that follow from these findings inform future research approaches, supporting the development of a strong evidence base to guide advance care planning implementation in practice.

Synchronizing advance directives among patients across a health system.

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (29_suppl) ◽  
pp. 233-233
Author(s):  
Sherri Rauenzahn Cervantez ◽  
Sadiyah Hotakey ◽  
Amanda Hernandez ◽  
Stephanie Warren ◽  
Jennifer Quintero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Health System ◽  
Advance Care Planning ◽  
Primary Care Clinic ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Care Clinic ◽  
Care Plans ◽  
Palliative Oncology ◽  
Advance Care

233 Background: Advance directives (ADs) are legal tools that direct treatment or decision making and appoint a surrogate decision-maker (health care proxy). The presence of ADs is associated with decreased rates of hospitalization, use of life-sustaining treatment, and deaths in a hospital setting. Additionally, completed ADs lead to increased use of hospice or palliative care, more positive family outcomes, improved quality of life for patients, and reduced costs for healthcare. Despite the benefits of advance care planning, only 18-36% of adults have completed advance care plans. The aims of our pilot study were to 1) implement a synchronized system for advance care planning across the UT Health San Antonio health system and 2) improve advance care planning rates in a primary care clinic and palliative oncology clinic. Methods: During a 10-month prospective period, system processes for advance care planning were reviewed with identification of three primary drivers for advance care plan completion: a) electronic/EMR processes, b) clinical workflows and training, and c) patient resources and education. As a result of this quality improvement initiative, standardized forms, resources, and processes for obtaining advance care plans were implemented in the selected clinics. Results: At baseline, the primary care clinic had 84/644 (13%) patients and the palliative oncology clinic had 25/336(7%) with completed advance care plans. With the implementation of a standardized process, 108 patients (23% increase in rate of completion) in the primary clinic and 56 patients (71% increase in rate of completion) in the palliative oncology setting completed advance care planning (ACP). Additionally, there was a 5-fold increase in billing of ACP CPT codes within the clinics during the first 6 months compared to the prior full year. Conclusions: While this quality improvement pilot initiative was limited to two clinics, the synchronized modifications suggest that the system changes could be expanded to other clinics in our UT health system to promote ACP discussions, completion of plans, and ultimately improved patient care.

Engaging College Undergraduates in Advance Care Planning

2016 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Sanders ◽  
Erin L. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Advance Care Planning ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Health Care Planning ◽  
Medical Decisions ◽  
Care Plans ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Advance Care

Advance care planning (ACP) is a critical part of long-term health-care planning, as no one knows when the ability to make personal medical decisions may be impaired. Many assume ACP is only necessary for older adults or those with life-threatening health conditions; however, there are growing discussions about healthy, young adults also engaging in ACP, as they too suffer from unexpected medical events that limit their ability to make medical decisions. The current study examined the reactions of college students following the completion of their advance care plans and then sharing these plans with friends and family. The students reported that while completing their advance care plans created many emotions, they found the experience to be valuable and facilitated conversations with family and friends about end-of-life care that may not have occurred otherwise.

scholarly journals Conversations that count: Advance Care Planning as preventative medicine

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Grundy ◽  
Jane Goodwin ◽  
Elaine McLardy
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Advance Care Planning ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Consumer Information ◽  
Health Board ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
District Health ◽  
Awareness Campaign ◽  
Care Plans ◽  
Advance Care

Background: Fundamental to the concept of Advance Care Planning (ACP) is empowering individuals and communities to recognise death as an inevitable part of life.Methods: ACP facilitators and clinical champions in the Canterbury region of New Zealand have been very active in engaging the community. This has occurred through consumer presentations, the creation of specific pages on the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) consumer information website (HealthInfo) and support of the National ACP awareness campaign ‘Conversations that Count’.Results: ‘Consumer power’ has been invaluable in driving the uptake of ACP in the CDHB. A survey of 49 GPs in 2015 found many were reluctant to start ACP conversations or felt they ‘did not have time’. The turning point was the realisation that patients are not only wanting but are actively asking to have these important conversations and to create Advance Care Plans (ACPlans). 1200 electronic ACPlans have now now been created in Canterbury, with 80% generated in primary care.The ACP pages on HealthInfo are consistently in the top 20 pages viewed each month which indicates that the community is seeking information and wanting to take control. Uptake and demand for consumer presentations and ‘Conversations that Count’ resources also continues to grow year on year.Discussion: Increased awareness and understanding of ACP gives people the opportunity to think and frame their reasoning, so they are better prepared to have well informed discussions with health care professionals. It helps them be clearer in their mind about their own limits and concerns. It is important for people to consider the question - “what is O.K for me and what isn’t?”. In this context, ACP conversations can be seen as preventative medicine.Patients need to be as well equipped as possible to be active participants in healthcare decisions, especially regarding end of life. Through the ACP process, unnecessary suffering, confusion and conflict can be reduced or prevented and unwanted or  burdensome treatment that is not in line with their goals and priorities can be averted.Conclusion: Valuing and honouring a person’s participation in their health care decision-making is important for all healthcare organisations. Prioritising ACP is an effective way of making this happen. 

How to Measure Goal Concordant Care in Order to Evaluate Advance Care Planning with Integrity: A Literature Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (Special Issue) ◽  
pp. 80-80
Author(s):  
Sophie Gloeeckler ◽  
◽  
Manuel Trachsel ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Medical Record ◽  
Advance Care Planning ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Medical Record Review ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Advance Care ◽  
The Many ◽  
Record Review

"Advance care planning is an effort to consider and communicate one’s values, goals, and preferences as they relate to future healthcare decisions to guide clinicians and loved ones when one is incapable of consenting, refusing, or requesting care. While generally accepted as valuable, advance care planning has proven challenging to evaluate. Goal concordant care is increasingly recognized as the target outcome, but there is no agreed-on methodology for assessment and some question if it can be meaningfully captured. It is ethically necessary to have a strong evidence base to guide practice. The current study is a literature review designed to support best practice for measuring goal concordant care. A database search of Pubmed, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Cochrane was conducted in September 2020; articles were included that measured whether advance care planning, defined broadly to consider advance directives, use of proxies, POLSTs, etc., led to goal concordant care. 132 included articles were reviewed according to aim, methodology, and integrity. Common approaches included medical record review 51% (n = 36); questionnaire (36%, n = 48), notably the Decision Conflict Scale (15% of questionnaires, n = 7); and interview (31%, n = 42), often with loved ones after death (40% of interviews, n = 17). Studies, especially those employing medical record review, did not always present enough detail to be reproducible, a concerning limitation. Despite the many existing studies aiming to track whether advance care planning leads to goal concordant care, significant work remains to establish sound methodology to do so meaningfully. "

scholarly journals 46 Promoting Advance Care Planning of Patients with Parkinsonism in the Community

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. i12-i42
Author(s):  
C Khuang Lim ◽  
C Miller ◽  
T Jones
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Advance Care Planning ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Advanced Care Planning ◽  
Do Not Resuscitate ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Care Plans ◽  
Advance Care

Abstract Introduction NICE guideline recommends that all patients with Parkinson’s disease should be reviewed every 6–12 months and offered opportunities to discuss Advanced Care Planning (ACP) (1, 2). There is evidence demonstrating that Advanced Care Plans results in shorter length of stay in the last year of life and lower hospital costs (2, 3). A local baseline audit showed that Advanced Care Planning was not performed adequately. Methods A local baseline audit on community care home patients with Parkinsonism was completed in February 2018. A community-based Parkinson’s clinic was commenced in June 2018. Patients with parkinsonism who were unable to attend hospital clinics due to underlying frailty, neuropsychiatry and physical issues, were reviewed. At each visit, advice was provided on medicines management and there were discussions around Advance Care Planning. A re-audit was completed in August 2019. Patient’s Electronic Patient Records were scrutinised to evaluate progress and identify those who had died. Data was analysed using Microsoft Excel. Results The initiative contributed directly to end of life care in 7/17 patients. Parkinson’s disease medications were rationalised in 11/17 (64.70%). 14/17 (82.35%) had a community-based Do Not Resuscitate order completed. Conclusions The community Parkinson’s clinic service promoted Advance Care Planning in patients with Parkinsonism. This service provides specialist input in frail older people with Parkinsonism who were unable to attend hospital clinic, promoting end of life choices around where they wished to die and avoiding unnecessary hospitalisation in the final stages of their life.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document