SynthesisBMC palliative care2026
The general public's perceptions of advance care planning (ACP) in the Asia-Pacific region: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC palliative care, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPopulations are rapidly ageing. Advance Care Planning (ACP) is an important activity to help prepare for future healthcare needs. Little is known of the perceptions of the general public of the Asia-Pacific region in relation to these activities. Within the context of the Asia-Pacific region, this review aimed to explore awareness of, attitudes towards, experiences of, and the needs, wishes, and/or expectations related to ACP/Advance Directives (AD) of the general public.
methodsThe systematic review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (December 17, 2023): CRD42023491109). PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase, and Emcare databases were searched 2013 to 2023 for primary research, of any design, that reported perspectives and experiences of the general adult public of the Asia-Pacific region relating to their awareness, attitudes, experience, and expectations of ACP/AD. The literature searches were updated in PubMed to 31 December 2025. Selected studies were quality appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Findings were synthesised using Cochrane’s narrative synthesis approach.
resultsOut of 3,275 records retrieved, 14 studies were included in this review. This review found that awareness of ACP/AD among the general public in the Asia-Pacific region is relatively low and it was not uncommon for them to know nothing about substitute decision maker decision makers and other terms related to ACP/AD. While they believe ACP is necessary and important, only a minority have had previous discussions regarding ACP and the reported completion of AD was minimal. Various factors that influence people’s willingness to engage in ACP/AD were found, such as wanting legal parameters to protect patient autonomy. Expectations of medical professionals to have good communication skills when discussing ACP were highlighted as well as the need for legal parameters to support ADs.
conclusionThis review highlights that awareness of ACP/AD among the general public in the Asia-Pacific region is low. As proven by the small number of papers which informed this review, more robust studies are needed on various aspects of this topic in the context of the Asia-Pacific region. Such studies would inform the best ways to move forward in improving the awareness and knowledge of, and to improve attitudes towards, ACP/AD to ensure people’s treatment decisions are discussed, documented, respected and enacted.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.