Prevalence, perceived barriers and sociodemographic correlates of advance care planning in a sample of outpatients

The Characteristics and Motivations of Taiwanese People toward Advance Care Planning in Outpatient Clinics at a Community Hospital

Advance care planning (ACP) provides access to complete advance decisions (ADs). Despite the legalization of ACP in Taiwan, it is underutilized in community settings. The objective of this study is to describe the service at a community hospital in Southern Taiwan. We retrospectively analyzed participants who were engaged in ACP consultations from January 2019 to January 2020. The characteristics, motivations, content, and satisfaction of participants are reported. Factors associated with refusing life-sustaining treatments (LST) or artificial nutrition/hydration (ANH) were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. Of the 178 participants, 123 completed the ACP. The majority were female (64.2%), aged 61 on average and more than 80% had never signed a do-not-resuscitate order. In the ADs, most participants declined LST (97.2%) and ANH (96.6%). Family-related issues (48.9%) were the most prevalent motivations. Rural residence (OR 8.6, p = 0.005), increased age (OR 7.2, p = 0.025), and reluctance to consent to organ donation (OR 5.2, p = 0.042) correlated with refusing LST or ANH. Participants provided a positive feedback regarding overall satisfaction (good, 83%) compared to service charge (fair/poor, 53%). The study demonstrated high AD completion when refusing LST or ANH. These findings may facilitate the development of ACP as a community-based service.