Marcus Sellars1, Karen M Detering2, Craig Sinclair3, Ben P White4, Kimberly Buck5, Rasa Ruseckaite6, Josephine M Clayton7, Linda Nolte5. 1. Advance Care Planning Australia, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia; Kolling Institute, Northern Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. Electronic address: marcus.sellars@austin.org.au. 2. Advance Care Planning Australia, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia; Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia. 3. Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia. 4. Australian Centre for Health Law Research, Faculty of Law, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. 5. Advance Care Planning Australia, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia. 6. Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. 7. Kolling Institute, Northern Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; HammondCare Centre for Learning & Research in Palliative Care, Greenwich Hospital and University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Abstract
CONTEXT: Personal and interpersonal factors may be influential in a person's decision to engage in advance care planning (ACP), including completion of ACP documentation. OBJECTIVES: To conduct a cross-sectional survey of older adults accessing Australian general practices, hospitals, and residential aged care facilities, with the aim of describing associations between personal and interpersonal factors and self-reported ACP documentation completion. METHODS: Eligible participants included in a national health record audit were approached to complete a survey measuring demographic and health characteristics, preferences for care, worries about the future, and experiences talking with others about ACP and completing ACP documentation. RESULTS: Of 1082 people eligible to participate in the survey, 507 completed the survey (response rate = 47%; median age 82 years) and 54% (n = 272) reported having completed ACP documentation. Having ever discussed ACP with other people (anyone) or a doctor were both significant predictors of ACP documentation completion, whereas having previously spoken specifically to a partner about ACP, currently living with children compared to living alone, and being aged 55-69 versus 90-99 years were associated with reduced odds of ACP documentation completion. CONCLUSION: Approximately half the participants reported having completed ACP documentation. The strongest predictor of ACP documentation completion was having spoken to anyone about ACP followed by having spoken to a doctor about ACP. These findings suggest that discussions about ACP are an important part of the process of completing ACP documentation.
CONTEXT: Personal and interpersonal factors may be influential in a person's decision to engage in advance care planning (ACP), including completion of ACP documentation. OBJECTIVES: To conduct a cross-sectional survey of older adults accessing Australian general practices, hospitals, and residential aged care facilities, with the aim of describing associations between personal and interpersonal factors and self-reported ACP documentation completion. METHODS: Eligible participants included in a national health record audit were approached to complete a survey measuring demographic and health characteristics, preferences for care, worries about the future, and experiences talking with others about ACP and completing ACP documentation. RESULTS: Of 1082 people eligible to participate in the survey, 507 completed the survey (response rate = 47%; median age 82 years) and 54% (n = 272) reported having completed ACP documentation. Having ever discussed ACP with other people (anyone) or a doctor were both significant predictors of ACP documentation completion, whereas having previously spoken specifically to a partner about ACP, currently living with children compared to living alone, and being aged 55-69 versus 90-99 years were associated with reduced odds of ACP documentation completion. CONCLUSION: Approximately half the participants reported having completed ACP documentation. The strongest predictor of ACP documentation completion was having spoken to anyone about ACP followed by having spoken to a doctor about ACP. These findings suggest that discussions about ACP are an important part of the process of completing ACP documentation.
Authors: Lee Valentine; Dawson Grace; Ingrid Pryor; Kate Buccilli; Marcus Sellars; Shona Francey; Magenta Simmons Journal: Community Ment Health J Date: 2020-10-15
Authors: Craig Sinclair; Marcus Sellars; Kimberly Buck; Karen M Detering; Ben P White; Linda Nolte Journal: J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci Date: 2021-01-01 Impact factor: 4.077