Research has demonstrated that patients still do not receive good end-of-life care and healthcare professionals have not been properly prepared for providing such care even ten years after the enactment of the Patient Self-Determination Act (PSDA). The PSDA states that all healthcare facilities that are receiving Medicare / Medicaid reimbursement are responsible for informing patients and their family of the right of Advance Directives. A decade after the PSDA, we have not seen the advance directive document completion rate improve in general. Utilization of advance directives presumably provides the end-of-life care as an individual wishes. Finding ways of increasing the completion rate can ensure the individual’s wishes about end-of-life care. Exploring the experience of this decision making process would provide valid data for better understanding the phenomenon of advance directives in the end-of-life care. The purpose of this study is to explore the meaning of the patient and family’s experience with advance directives document completion or non-completion. The knowledge gained from this proposed study would provide data for generating effective public health policy on the end-of-life care. Methods: The study is approved by the IRB. This study is using qualitative approach to identify the possible themes of the meanings of the experience with Advance Directives completion or non-completion by exploring those who executed, or do not executed advance directives for themselves or their family members. Computer software is used to extract the themes. The study is being conducted and the finding will be available in June,2001.
Learning Objectives: N/A
Keywords: End-of-Life Care, Bioethics
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.