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Background: The proportion of hospital deaths has declined in the past few decades, while the proportions of nursing home deaths have increased. This trend of increasing deaths in long-term care facilities underlines the importance of improving end-of-life care provisions in these settings to meet individual preferences and needs. Under these circumstances, a comprehensive understanding of end-of-life care preferences in local nursing home residents can help healthcare professionals and policymakers develop strategies to increase the advance directive completion rate and quality of care. This study aimed to explore and compare advance directive and end-of-life care preferences of nursing home residents in Hong Kong and Taiwan., Methods: A structured questionnaire was developed by the research team to investigate advance directive and end-of-life care preferences in older Chinese nursing home residents. Nursing home residents with frail or pre-frail status and over the age of 64 were invited to participate in the study, and information on demographics, functional status, advance directive experiences, and end-of-life care expectations was collected through questionnaire interviews., Results: A total of 325 eligible participants from 32 facilities completed the survey, including 238 older residents in Hong Kong and 87 in Taiwan. A significantly lower proportion of the Hong Kong residents had completed an advance directive compared with the Taiwanese (3 vs. 13%, p = 0.001). Among participants who did not have an advance directive, 46% of the Taiwanese participants said they would consider completing one in the future, compared with 20% of the Hong Kong participants (p < 0.001). A total of 79% of the Hong Kong participants and 80% of the Taiwanese participants responded that prolonging life in the given hypothetical dying scenario was "not important" (p = 0.76). Only 14% of participants in Hong Kong and 18% of participants in Taiwan reported prior occurrence of end-of-life care discussions with family members or health professionals (p = 0.37)., Conclusions: This paper adds evidence in support of improving end-of-life communication and the advance directive completion rate in nursing homes in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Further research is necessary to explore cross-cultural differences in end-of-life preferences and its applications in predicting decision-making and the quality of end-of-life care., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: With a rapidly aging population, there is an increasing need for do-not-resuscitate (DNR) and advance care planning (ACP) discussions. This study investigated the factors associated with signing DNR documents of older patients in the geriatric ward.Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study at a geriatric ward in a tertiary hospital in Southern Taiwan. Three hundred and thirty-seven hospitalized older patients aged ≥65 years in the geriatric ward from 2018 to 2019. The Hospital Information System and electronic medical records were accessed to obtain details regarding patients' demographics, daily living activities, serum albumin level, nutrition screening score, intensive care unit transferal, resuscitation procedure, days of hospital stay, and survival status on discharge, and DNR status was recorded retrospectively. Patients were classified into DNR and non-DNR groups, with t-tests and Chi-square tests applied to compare the differences between groups. Logistic regression was performed to predict factors related to the DNR documents.Results: A total of 337 patients were included, 66 of whom had signed a DNR during hospitalization. After multivariate logistic regression, age 85 or more compared to age 65-74 (adjusted odds ratio, aOR 5.94), poor nutrition with screening score two or more (aOR 2.71), albumin level less than 3 (aOR 3.24), Charlson Comorbidity Index higher than 2 (aOR 2.46) and once transferred to ICU (aOR 5.11) were independently associated with DNR documentation during hospitalization.Conclusions: Several factors related to DNR documents for geriatric patients were identified which could provide clinical information for physicians, patients, and their families to discuss DNR and ACP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Participating in advance care planning (ACP) discussions during the early stages of dementia is crucial to ensuring the quality of end-of-life (EoL) care. Inadequate discussions regarding ACP and EoL care between persons with dementia and family caregivers often lead to decisional conflicts when persons with dementia are in the later stages of their disease. Purpose: To explore the impact of a family-centered ACP information intervention on the EoL care decision--making conflicts between persons with dementia and their family caregivers. Methods: A one-group, pretest--posttest, pre-experimental design was applied. Data were collected at outpatient clinics in regional teaching hospitals in northern Taiwan. Participants included 43 dyads of persons diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia and their family caregivers. The intervention was implemented by an ACPtrained senior registered nurse and was guided using ACP manuals and family-centered strategies. The decisional conflict scale was the main measure used. Paired t tests were used to compare differences between pre-intervention data and 4-weeks' post-intervention data. Results: The ACP information intervention significantly reduced the decisional conflict score for end-of-life decision making in the participants with mild dementia (p < .001). In addition, significant declines were observed in all aspects of decision-making conflicts, including value clarification, uncertainty, and effective decision-making. The mean total conflict score of the family caregivers was also significantly reduced (p < .001), but no significant difference was found in the aspect of support. Conclusions: Family-centered care strategies provide knowledge about end-of-life care for persons with dementia. These strategies also facilitate regular and continuous communication between family caregivers, persons with dementia, and medical professionals, reducing decisional conflicts in EoL care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although advance care planning discussions are increasingly accepted worldwide, their ideal timing is uncertain and cultural factors may pertain. Aim: To evaluate timing and factors affecting initiation of advance care planning discussions for adult patients in Japan and Taiwan. Design: Mixed-methods questionnaire survey to quantitatively determine percentages of patients willing to initiate advance care planning discussions at four stages of illness trajectory ranging from healthy to undeniably ill, and to identify qualitative perceptions underlying preferred timing. Setting/participants: Patients aged 40–75 years visiting outpatient departments at four Japanese and two Taiwanese hospitals were randomly recruited. Results: Overall (of 700 respondents), 72% (of 365) in Japan and 84% (of 335) in Taiwan (p < 0.001) accepted discussion before illness. In Japan, factors associated with willingness before illness were younger age and rejection of life-sustaining treatments; in Taiwan, older age, stronger social support, and rejection of life-sustaining treatments. Four main categories of attitudes were extracted: the most common welcomed discussion as a wise precaution, responses in this first category outnumbered preference for postponement of discussion until imminent end of life, acceptance of the universal inevitability of death, and preference for discussion at healthcare providers' initiative. Conclusion: The majority of patients are willing to begin discussion before their health is severely compromised; about one out of five patients are unwilling to begin until clearly facing death. To promote advance care planning, healthcare providers must be mindful of patients' preferences and factors associated with acceptance and reluctance to initiate advance care planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The association between palliative care and life-sustaining treatment following emergency department (ED) resuscitation is unclear. This study aims to analyze the usage of palliative care and life-sustaining treatments among ED triage level I resuscitation patients based on a nationally representative sample of patients in Taiwan. Methods: A matched-pair retrospective cohort study was conducted to examine the association between palliative care and outcome variables using multivariate logistic regression and Kaplan–Meier survival analyses. Between 2009 and 2013, 336 ED triage level I resuscitation patients received palliative care services (palliative care group) under a universal health insurance scheme. Retrospective cohort matching was performed with those who received standard care at a ratio of 1:4 (usual care group). Outcome variables included the number of visits to emergency and outpatient departments, hospitalization duration, total medical expenses, utilization of life-sustaining treatments, and duration of survival following ED triage level I resuscitation. Results: The mean survival duration following level I resuscitation was less than 1 year. Palliative care was administered to 15% of the resuscitation cohort. The palliative care group received significantly less life-sustaining treatment than did the usual care group. Conclusion: Among patients who underwent level I resuscitation, palliative care was inversely correlated with the scope of life-sustaining treatments. Furthermore, triage level I resuscitation status may present a possible new field for starting palliative care intervention and reducing low-value care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increasing evidence shows that advance care planning is effective in improving outcomes. However, its applicability and acceptability outside Western cultures remain unknown. Examination of relevant cultural adaptations is required prior to wider adoption. Aim: To examine the feasibility and acceptability of a culturally adapted advance care planning intervention in a Taiwanese inpatient hospital for advanced cancer patients, family members and healthcare professionals. Methods: A single-group, non-controlled, mixed methods feasibility study guided by a previously developed logic model. The culturally adapted advance care planning intervention represented a one-time intervention, comprising pre-advance care planning preparation and follow-up consultation. Qualitative interviews explored participants' view on their involvement in the study. Patients' medical records were examined to assess intervention fidelity. Findings from both data sets were integrated following analysis. Results: N = 29 participants (n = 10 patients; n = 10 family members and n = 9 healthcare professionals) participated in the intervention, of who 28 completed follow-up interviews. Of the 10 advance care planning interventions delivered, most components (n = 10/13) were met. Key contextual moderators influencing the intervention feasibility included: (1) resource constraints resulting in increased workload; (2) care decisions informed by relatives' experiences of care; (3) the requirement for financial and policy support; and (4) a presumption for end-of-life care provision and surrogate decision-making. Six areas of intervention refinement were identified for future research. Conclusion: Implementing a culturally adapted advance care planning intervention in an inpatient hospital setting in Taiwan is possible. The participants reported the intervention to be acceptable. However, careful attention to the conceptual underpinning using local primary data is imperative for its success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The concept of advance care planning is largely derived from Western countries. However, the decision-making process and drivers for choosing palliative care in non-Western cultures have received little attention. Aim: To explore the decision-making processes and drivers of receiving palliative care in advance care planning discussions from perspectives of advanced cancer patients, families and healthcare professionals in northern Taiwan. Method: Semi-structured qualitative interviews with advanced cancer patients, their families and healthcare professionals independently from inpatient oncology and hospice units. Thematic analysis with analytical rigour enhanced by dual coding and exploration of divergent views. Results: Forty-five participants were interviewed (n = 15 from each group). Three main decision-making trajectories were identified: (1) 'choose palliative care' was associated with patients' desire to reduce physical suffering from treatments, avoid being a burden to families and society, reduce futile treatments and donate organs to help others; (2) 'decline palliative care' was associated with patients weighing up perceived benefits to others as more important than benefits for themselves; and (3) 'no opportunity to choose palliative care' was associated with lack of opportunities to discuss potential benefits of palliative care, lack of staff skill in end-of-life communication, and cultural factors, notably filial piety. Conclusion: Choice for palliative care among advanced cancer patients in Taiwan is influenced by three decision-making trajectories. Opinions from families are highly influential, and patients often lack information on palliative care options. Strategies to facilitate decision-making require staff confidence in end-of-life discussions, working with the patients and their family while respecting the influence of filial piety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a cross-sectional survey study that examined the correlates of physician-patient end-of-life-care discussions and their associations with patient end-of-life-care preferences. The study found that physician-patient end-of-life-care discussions are negatively associated with the aggressive end-of-life care preferences of terminally ill cancer patients. It also indicated that 7.8% of the respondents discussed end-of-life-care preferences with their physicians.