Predictors of the Willingness to Promote Advance Care Planning among Nurses in Palliative Care Settings in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Background: While previous studies showed that oncology nurses were highly inclined to promote advance care planning (ACP), there is a limited study focusing on ACP that concerns the willingness to promote ACP among palliative nurses in Indonesia. This issue needs to be investigated to determine the causative factors so that interventions for nurses can be arranged to improve ACP in Indonesia.Purpose: This study aimed to identify predictors of the willingness to promote ACP among nurses in palliative care settings.Methods: This study used a descriptive-analytical design with a cross-sectional approach. A total of 150 registered nurses with at least one year of experience were purposively recruited. Data were collected using the Indonesian version of the willingness to promote ACP instrument (I-WPACP) with a possible score range of 24 to 120; the higher the score, the higher the willingness to promote ACP. The descriptive statistic, independent t-test, Pearson correlation test, Spearman rank correlation test, and multiple linear regression test were used to analyze the data.Results: The willingness to promote ACP showed a mean score of 84.73±9.36. The score indicates a high willingness to promote ACP. The experience of receiving palliative care education became a related factor as well as the most closely related factor to the willingness to promote ACP in the palliative care settings (β=0.184; p=0.028).Conclusion: The willingness to promote ACP among nurses is high and closely related to their experience of receiving education about palliative care. Education about palliative care and training on ACP needs to be developed so that nurses can discuss ACP with patients and family caregivers.

Reluctance to Accept Palliative Care and Recommendations for Improvement

Although insurance companies are increasingly paying for home-based palliative care (HBPC), enrollment remains low. To identify patient and caregiver perceived barriers to HBPC and their recommendations for overcoming these barriers, we conducted semi-structured individual interviews. Our interview protocol elicited participants’ perspectives on HBPC services; positive and negative aspects of the palliative program explanation; and suggestions for improving HBPC messaging. Seventeen patients and eight caregivers who were eligible for a randomized controlled trial of HBPC were interviewed. Themes related to HBPC referral barriers included reluctance to have home visits, enrollment timing, lack of palliative care knowledge, and patients’ self-perceived health condition. Themes related to recommendations for overcoming these obstacles included ensuring that HBPC referrals come from healthcare providers or insurance companies and presenting HBPC more clearly. Findings reinforce the need for palliative care education among seriously ill patients and the importance of delivering palliative care information and referrals from trusted sources.

Opinion and Special Article: Next Steps in Palliative Care Education for Neurology Residents

Many neurologic diseases are life limiting and markedly impair patients' quality of life. Growing recommendations in the field recommend that neurologists have primary skills in palliative medicine that will allow them to manage symptoms and discuss end of life decisions with patients and families. Previous work has shown that formal palliative care training in neurology residencies is very limited. In this paper we briefly describe a national survey of neurology residents where we assess both the quantity and quality of the teaching they receive in end-of-life care as compared to a common and an uncommon neurologic condition. Based on the gaps we identified, as well as previous studies and recommendations in neuropalliative care, we provide nine recommendations to help neurology residency programs improve their teaching of primary neuropalliative care skills.