| Popis: |
Background Advance care planning (ACP) is still used with only a minority of older patients due to a lack of knowledge regarding appropriate approaches to ACP with older people. General practitioners (GPs) may play a key role in ACP with older people. We explored their experiences with different approaches to ACP with older patients in daily practice. Methods A qualitative study among a purposive sample of 19 Dutch GPs based on semi-structured interviews. Results Approaches to ACP with older patients can be divided into two categories: systematic and ad-hoc. Systematic approaches consisted of discussing a fixed combination of topics during group information meetings, intakes, comprehensive geriatric assessments, and periodic assessments with community-dwelling older patients who are frail, cognitively impaired, or aged >75, and with older patients living in residential care homes. Meetings were aimed at making agreements in anticipation of future care, at providing information and at encouraging older people to take further steps in ACP. With ad-hoc approaches, respondents discussed only one or two topics related to the near future with deteriorating patients or when patients or family-initiated ACP. Systematic and ad-hoc approaches were used simultaneously or sequentially. Due to a lack of time and knowledge respondents seemed to underuse many occasions and topics. Conclusions Awareness of appropriate systematic and ad-hoc approaches to ACP, and the focus on providing information and encouraging older people to take further steps in ACP can support GPs and improve older patients’ access to ACP. |
