“Be Prepared”—Clinical Applications and Practical Guidance in Developing Culturally Appropriate Advance Care Planning Tools for American Indian and Alaska Native People (FR405)

Abstract

•Discuss the concepts of cultural humility and its applications in advance care planning with American Indian and Alaska Native People.•Describe the use of innovative clinical tools to educate American Indian and Alaska Native patients and families on advance care planning. These tools include the use of advance care planning conversation maps, group visits and conversation guides.•Develop a framework to educate and equip health care providers with advance care planning tools and resources for culturally diverse and underserved populations in urban and rural regions. Alaska Native and American Indian People (AN/AI people) have diverse and rich cultural perspectives on advance care planning. There is very limited information and studies on advance care planning with AN/AI people and the approaches on how to engage in these conversations. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Palliative Care Program has developed innovative clinical tools for advance care planning that integrate concepts of cultural humility to respect the diverse traditions and cultures of AN/AI people. By incorporating the traditions of storytelling and pictures, the concepts of advance care planning are explored through the innovative use of conversation maps, group visits and conversation guides. With the integration of motivational interviewing techniques, these tools for advance care planning help to provide a culturally sensitive way to engage in these important conversations with patients and families of diverse cultural backgrounds. In addition, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Palliative Care Program has helped to integrate these advance care planning tools throughout the Alaska Tribal Health System in both rural and urban settings. Through these efforts, tools and resources have been provided to educate and equip health care providers and ancillary staff to have advance care planning conversations in a variety of settings.