Increasing Advance Care Planning Completion at an Academic Internal Medicine Outpatient Clinic

We sought to increase advance care planning (ACP) completion at an academic internal medicine clinic through an electronic health record.

Number of eligible patients who completed a form of ACP.

Multidisciplinary team approach with engagement from providers and clinic staff; implemented informational letter and appropriate forms to eligible patients before appointment; informational video and provider reminders at time of appointment.

Of 480 eligible patients, 327 (68%) completed one or more forms of ACP or had a discussion with their provider. Discussed but not completed was highest (53%). The three types of ACP completed were 1) a state-formatted advance directive form (47%), 2) Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (45%), and 3) power of attorney designation (8%).

Implementation of a multi-disciplinary approach can facilitate ACP. However, challenges still arise because in more than half of the cases, advance care efforts led only to a discussion.