Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39488435›Full record

ArticleBMJ open quality2024

Increasing the uptake of advance care directives through staff education and one-on-one support for people facing end-of-life.

Leigh David Kinsman, Graeme Mooney, Gail Whiteford, Tony Lower, Megan Hobbs, Bev Morris, Kerry Bartlett, Alycia Jacob, Dan Curley

Abstract read
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Article in BMJ open quality, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Leigh David KinsmanViolet Vines Marshman Centre of Rural Health Research, La Trobe University, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia l.kinsman@latrobe.edu.au.ORCID 0000-0002-0790-5887
Graeme MooneySocial Work, Mid North Coast Local Health District, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia.
Gail WhitefordCharles Sturt University, Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia.
Tony LowerRural Health, University of Sydney, Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia.
Megan HobbsUniversity of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Bev MorrisMid North Coast Local Health District, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia.
Kerry BartlettMid North Coast Local Health District, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia.
Alycia JacobAustralian Catholic University, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia.
Dan CurleyMid North Coast Local Health District, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAn advance care plan outlines a patient's wishes regarding medical treatment or goals of care in the case that they become unable to communicate or to make decisions. An advance care directive (ACD) is an advance care plan that has been formally recorded and has legal status. Despite ACDs playing an important role in person-centred end-of-life care, an earlier retrospective medical records audit demonstrated that only 11% (58/531) of people who died due to a terminal illness had an ACD.The aim of this project was to increase the proportion of patients with a terminal illness completing an ACD. A secondary outcome was to measure the impact of ACDs on hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions in the last 6 months of life.This multifaceted project comprised (1) education for health professionals and the public; (2) individual support for patients on request; (3) development of online resources for health professionals and the general public; and (4) monthly team meetings.

methodThe proportion of ACDs completed and hospital and ICU admissions during the last 6 months of life, were extracted via medical record audits.Written consent was required for patients to participate, including being contacted by the project team and accessing their medical records.

results112 patients consented to participate in the project and 109 (97%) completed an ACD. There was no reduction in the average number of hospital admissions, while ICU admissions reduced from 14% (n=74) to 0%.

conclusionThe targeted, multifaceted approach to education and support for completion of ACDs, resulted in a significant increase in ACD completion and a major reduction in ICU admissions.

Indexed as

Advance DirectivesTerminal CareAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansIntensive Care UnitsMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesAdvance DirectivesHealth EquityPalliative Care

Identifiers

PMID39488435
PMCPMC11664345

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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.