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Date of Presentation

5-8-2025

Document Type

Article

Department

Medicine

Faculty Mentor

Victora Walker, MD

Keywords

Advance Care Planning, healthcare personnel

Subject Categories

Medical Education | Medicine and Health Sciences

Abstract

Advanced Care Planning (ACP) is a process used to identify or update a specific patient’s preferences of care and treatment in the event that they lack the capacity to do so. ACP is especially important for the aging population and those living with chronic conditions. Currently 11% of the world’s population is above the age of 60 and this number is projected to climb to 22% by 2050. The effects of aging are even greater in rural areas, such as South Dakota, where there is a disproportionate number of older and sicker people.

This study examined the effectiveness of a program designed to inform South Dakota health professionals about the uses and limitations of different ACP tools including Power of Attorney, Living Will, Comfort One, and MOST (Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment). Health care professionals who work with vulnerable adult populations were recruited through partnerships with long-term care organizations. Participants attended four one-hour long discussion-based sessions about grief, loss, and how it relates to ACP. Continued medical education credit was provided. The primary goals were to increase the comfort level of using ACP tools and help decrease the negative emotional impact on the health care professional. A pre/post knowledge survey and the Professional Quality of Life Scale are used to evaluate these measures.

Overall, the sessions increased the health care professionals’ comfort with using the ACP tools appropriately and increased professional well-being. Additionally, the sessions were well received and facilitated difficult discussions between professionals in various settings. The study was limited by the number of participants and participants who were not in attendance at all sessions. Further research on barriers to using ACP tools and outcomes of addressing these barriers could help with the overall usage of ACP in South Dakota. The use of implementation science in integrating these skills and tools into the clinical setting should be explored.

Minimizing Grief and Loss Through Advance Care Planning

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