SynthesisBMC health services research2024
Advance directives in the emergency department-a systematic review of the status quo.
Synthesis in BMC health services research, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Knowledge and perception of end-of-life bioethics among medical students. A comparative study between the University of Verona (Italy) and the University of Halle (Germany).BMC medical ethics · 2026Article
- From cultural constraints to structural resilience: a comparative analysis of end-of-life care policies in China, South Korea, the U.S., and the U.K.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- [S1 guideline on sustainability in intensive care and emergency medicine].Medizinische Klinik, Intensivmedizin und Notfallmedizin · 2025Review
- The role of specialized outpatient palliative care in emergency advance directives: fewer hospitalizations, greater alignment with patient wishes.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2025Article
- Absence of Medical Record Documentation of Advance Care Planning Status in At-Risk Emergency Department Patients.Cureus · 2025Article
- Should Artificial Intelligence-Based Patient Preference Predictors Be Used for Incapacitated Patients? A Scoping Review of Reasons to Facilitate Medico-Legal Considerations.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- [Intensive care and emergency medicine overuse and sustainability].Medizinische Klinik, Intensivmedizin und Notfallmedizin · 2025Review
- Twenty Years of the Journal of Bioethical Inquiry and Democracy Trumps Bioethics?Journal of bioethical inquiry · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundProviding individualised healthcare in line with patient wishes is a particular challenge for emergency healthcare professionals. Documentation of patient wishes (DPW), e.g. as advance directives, can guide clinicians in making end-of-life decisions that respect the patient's wishes and autonomy. However, patient centered decisions are hindered by limited availability of DPWs in emergency settings.
objectiveThis systematic review aims to congregate present data on recorded rates for DPW existence and availability in the emergency department (ED) as well as contributing factors for these rates.
methodsWe searched MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Embase and Web of Science databases in September 2023. Publications providing primary quantitative data on DPW in the ED were assessed. Publications referring only to a subset of ED patients (other than geriatric) and investigating DPW issued after admission were excluded.
resultsA total of 22 studies from 1996 to 2021 were included in the analysis. Most were from the US (n = 12), followed by Australia (n = 4), Canada (n = 2), South Korea, Germany, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (n = 1 each). In the general adult population presenting to the ED, 19.9-27.8% of patients reported having some form of DPW, but only in 6.8% or less it was available on presentation. In the geriatric population, DPW rates (2.6-79%) as well as their availability (1.1-48.8%) varied widely. The following variables were identified as positive predictors of having DPW, among others: higher age, poorer overall health, as well as sociodemographic factors, such as female gender, having children, being in a relationship, higher level of education or a recent previous presentation to hospital.
conclusionsExistence and availability of a recorded DPW among ED patients was low in general and even in geriatric populations mostly well below 50%. While we were able to gather data on prevalence and predictors, this was limited by heterogeneous data. We believe further research is needed to explore the quality of DPW and measures to increase both rates of existence and availability of DPW in the ED.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.