Developing and evaluating innovative interventions to improve Advance Care Planning (ACP): towards a comprehensive multistakeholder model

Advance care planning (ACP) is a process of communication
between patients, family carers and professionals about preferences
for future end-of-life care. The goal of ACP is to help to ensure that
patients receive care that is consistent with their preferences,
including at times when patients are no longer able to make their own
decisions about care. Despite its importance, the uptake of ACP in
mainstream practice remains low. Previous research has mainly
focused on improving professional caregivers’ initiation of ACP in
clinical settings. However, there is growing realization that in order to
address the challenges related to ACP, complementary strategies
are needed on the informal level (ACP between patients and family
carers in the home setting without involvement of a professional) and
community level (to create a supportive environment for ACP). The
overall aim of this project is to improve the practice of ACP by
developing and evaluating innovative interventions targeting the 1)
individual, 2) professional and 3) community level and integrate the
results of these different interventions into a conceptual
comprehensive ACP model through a meta-analysis. This will be the
first project to deliver ambitious social innovations in ACP rather than
solely innovating professional health care as well as add an
evidence-base to public health research about ACP.