Advance care planning for healthcare providers
Healthcare providers play an important role in advance care planning by encouraging people to think about it, offering information and answering questions about their health and treatment choices.
Advance care planning is an ongoing process that helps adults at any age or stage of health understand and share their values, goals and wishes for future care, so that treatment aligns with what matters most to them.
Alberta healthcare providers can use the five key actions below to facilitate this process. This information should be applied within your scope of practice.
1. Introduce and explain
Start by explaining what advance care planning is and why it’s important.
2. Offer resources
Provide resources so people can learn more about advance care planning on their own time, at their own pace.
3. Encourage agent selection
The most important legal component of advance care planning is the careful selection and appointment of an agent(s) in a personal directive.
4. Facilitate conversations
Learn about what matters most to people and help prepare them (and their agent) to make future health and personal care decisions.
5. Document conversations
Document these conversations when they happen and ensure people have up-to-date print copies of their documents.
References
Access all the resources referenced throughout this site and more.
This material was adapted with the permission of Hospice Palliative Care Ontario based on original materials provided by Hospice Palliative Care Ontario.