“It’s about the conversation”: A multidisciplinary intervention to support advance-care planning.

Abstract

111 Background: A recent California Healthcare Foundation study found that 60% of Californians highly valued “making sure their families are not burdened by tough decisions about their care." However, less than 50% have communicated their end-of-life wishes to their surrogate decision maker. 82% say it is important to have end-of-life wishes in writing, but only 23% say they have done so. At City of Hope National Cancer Medical Center (COH) the advance directive (AD) completion rate is less than 15%. The Department of Supportive Care Medicine Sheri & Les Biller Patient and Family Resource Center (BRC) is leading development of innovative strategies to foster Advance Care Planning (ACP) communication and documentation. Methods: A multi-specialty physician and interdisciplinary team assembled and designed a social media advertised 4-hour interactive event that was held in the BRC. Over 40 staff and volunteers facilitated individualized ACP conversations with the “Go Wish” cards, private consultations with social workers, showed novel COH ACP videos, provided multi-lingual ACP literature and advance directive documents available for completion with Notary support on-site. Results: Over 300 people attended, including patients, caregivers and COH staff. Forty-seven advance directives were completed (24 by patient/caregivers, 23 by COH staff). Twenty-nine Go Wish games were facilitated (2 in Spanish). Of the 52 attendees who completed exit evaluations, 44% were patients, 31% staff, and 11% were caregivers. Respondents reported that the event increased their comfort and likelihood of having conversations about ACP with others. Importantly, 38 of the 52 surveyed, did not have an AD prior to attending the event. Of those 38 attendees, 18 of them completed an AD at the event (or 47%). Conclusions: Advanced care planning is an all too often avoided conversation that results in increased distress of patients, families and providers. By proactively designing opportunities for facilitated conversations in dynamic and public arenas, fear and stigmas are diffused and the true focus and intent of discovering what people wish so the medical team, surrogates and family can ensure their values are honored and met become possible.