Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Knowledge and perceptions in advance care planning.

Emily K Porensky1, Brian D Carpenter

  • 1Department of Psychology, Campus Box 1125, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA. eporensky@wustl.edu

Journal of Aging and Health
|February 7, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

There, but not there: older people in anti-ageism interventions.

The Gerontologist·2026
Same author

Patient and clinician engagement with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI): A scoping review of implications for patient-centered communication.

Patient education and counseling·2026
Same author

Remote assessments of sleep and cognition in cognitively normal older adults at risk for Alzheimer disease.

Sleep medicine·2025
Same author

Echoes of pandemic loss: Navigating grief in the wake of a COVID death.

Death studies·2025
Same author

Ethics of AI in healthcare: a scoping review demonstrating applicability of a foundational framework.

Frontiers in digital health·2025
Same author

Resiliency in Child-Caregiver Dyads and the Impact on Health Outcomes in Sickle Cell Disease.

Children (Basel, Switzerland)·2025
Same journal

Caregiving Across the Life Course: Intensity, Duration, and Health Among Family Caregivers in the United States.

Journal of aging and health·2026
Same journal

Hearing Status, Loneliness, and Verbal Fluency in Older Adults: A Latent Growth Curve Modeling Approach.

Journal of aging and health·2026
Same journal

Embodied Cognitive Reserve in Later Life: Education, Lifelong Learning, and Family-Based Social Support as Predictors of Mortality in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Study.

Journal of aging and health·2026
Same journal

Bridging the Digital Divide: The Mediating Role of Social Engagement in Technology Use and Mental Health.

Journal of aging and health·2026
Same journal

A Person-Centered Exploration of Mental and Cognitive Health Risk Profiles in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Journal of aging and health·2026
Same journal

Associations of Depressive Symptoms With Diabetes, Chronic Kidney Disease, and Physical Activity in Later Life.

Journal of aging and health·2026
See all related articles

Older adults have significant gaps in understanding medical terms and ambiguous phrases used in advance care planning, leading to potential misunderstandings. Improving communication requires clear medical education and explicit language for treatment preferences.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Medical Communication
  • Bioethics

Background:

  • Advance care planning (ACP) relies on clear communication of complex medical information.
  • Misinterpretations of medical terminology and ambiguous phrases can undermine patient autonomy and treatment goals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess older adults' understanding of medical terminology and their interpretations of equivocal phrases common in ACP.
  • To identify potential barriers to effective advance care planning due to knowledge gaps and subjective perceptions.

Main Methods:

  • A study involving 170 community-dwelling older adults.
  • Assessed knowledge of medical conditions/treatments via yes-or-no questions.
  • Evaluated connotations of ambiguous phrases through a written questionnaire.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Participants correctly answered 78% of factual questions, with significant individual variation (59%-94%).
  • Knowledge was strongest regarding treatment purposes and weakest regarding treatment outcomes.
  • Interpretations of ambiguous phrases were highly personal, even for common terms like 'improvement'.

Conclusions:

  • Older adults possess misconceptions and idiosyncratic views impacting ACP.
  • Family members and healthcare professionals may be unaware of these individualistic perceptions.
  • Enhanced ACP interventions should incorporate medical information instruction and promote explicit language for expressing treatment preferences.