Enabling Advance Directive Completion: Feasibility of a New Nurse-Supported Advance Care Planning Intervention

J Gerontol Nurs. 2018 Jul 1;44(7):31-42. doi: 10.3928/00989134-20180614-06.

Abstract

Adults who complete an advance directive (AD) are not consistently offered information about the risks, benefits, or alternatives (RBA) of the life-sustaining medical procedures addressed on standardized forms. The current article describes a new patient-centered nurse-supported advance care planning (NSACP) intervention focused on providing information about RBA of life-sustaining procedures. Fifty participants (mean age = 50.26 years) at a Veterans Affairs medical center were randomized to the NSACP intervention or a comparison condition. Before randomization, 78% (n = 39) expressed interest in RBA information. Of participants in the NSACP group, 94% (n = 30) completed an AD. Participants who received NSACP made more decisions to decline life-sustaining treatment than those who were randomized to the comparison group. Promising feasibility data include brevity (mean = 46 minutes), high patient satisfaction, participant retention, and treatment fidelity. The NSACP holds promise as a brief, educational intervention to support patients in completing an AD. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 44(7), 31-42.].

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Advance Care Planning / organization & administration*
  • Advance Directives*
  • Aged
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Nurse's Role*