Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Aug 17;153(4):256-61.
doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-153-4-201008170-00008.

Redefining the "planning" in advance care planning: preparing for end-of-life decision making

Rebecca L Sudore  1 , Terri R Fried
Affiliations

Redefining the "planning" in advance care planning: preparing for end-of-life decision making

Rebecca L Sudore et al. Ann Intern Med. .

Abstract

The traditional objective of advance care planning has been to have patients make treatment decisions in advance so that clinicians can attempt to provide care consistent with their goals. The authors contend that the objective for advance care planning ought to be the preparation of patients and surrogates to participate with clinicians in making the best possible in-the-moment medical decisions. They provide practical steps for clinicians to help patients and surrogate decision makers achieve this objective in the outpatient setting. Preparation for in-the-moment decision making shifts the focus from having patients make premature decisions based on incomplete information to preparing them and their surrogates for the types of decisions and conflicts they may encounter when they do have to make in-the-moment decisions. Advance directives, although important, are just one piece of information to be used at the time of decision making.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Emanuel LL, von Gunten CF, Ferris FD. Advance care planning. Arch Fam Med. 2000 Nov-Dec;9(10):1181–1187. - PubMed
    1. Gillick MR. Advance care planning. N Engl J Med. 2004 Jan 1;350(1):7–8. - PubMed
    1. Doukas DJ, McCullough LB. The values history. The evaluation of the patient's values and advance directives. J Fam Pract. 1991 Feb;32(2):145–153. - PubMed
    1. Hawkins NA, Ditto PH, Danks JH, Smucker WD. Micromanaging death: process preferences, values, and goals in end-of-life medical decision making. Gerontologist. 2005 Feb;45(1):107–117. - PubMed
    1. Schonwetter RS, Walker RM, Solomon M, Indurkhya A, Robinson BE. Life values, resuscitation preferences, and the applicability of living wills in an older population. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1996 Aug;44(8):954–958. - PubMed

Publication types