Advance Care Planning and Chronic Kidney Disease: What Do Patients Know and What Do They Want?

There is a gap in the research literature regarding advance care planning with this population of patients. This article reports on a study about the end-of-life knowledge, needs, and preferences of patients on hemodialysis - as reported by patients - within a hospital or community-based setting that addresses this gap. Data were collected using a survey method; non-probability, consecutive sampling (n=133) resulted in a high response rate of 64.0%. There were three key findings: 1) patients do not identify themselves as having a progressive health condition, 2) patients are comfortable discussing end-of-life issues, and 3) patients want discussions about end-of-life care when they request to do so or when their health worsens. We report on these findings and discuss three key recommendations: 1) patients with chronic kidney disease be consulted about the appropriate time for advance care planning, 2) symptom management needs greater attention, and 3) the role of family requires more consideration.