Doctor's Perceptions of the Systemic Influences on Advance Care Plan Application: A Thematic Analysis.

Context: Healthcare consumers are encouraged to develop an Advance Care Plan (ACP) to help to ensure their preferences are known and respected. However, the role of governing systems in the application of ACPs must be understood if patients' voices (expressed within this medium) are to be heard. Objective: To explore systemic barriers influencing Queensland public hospital doctors' application of the Advance Care Plans of hospitalized people with a neurodegenerative disorder. Methods: Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, 16 semi structured interviews were conducted with public hospital doctors. Data were inductively analysed using open and focused coding. Results: Analysis revealed two main themes: Practicing Medicine within a Legal Construct, and Delegitimizing ACP. Participants found the application of ACP in Queensland unduly complex, and they were inadequately prepared by education or training. Doctors maintained a dominant role in temporal medical decision-making and cited hospital practice culture for delegitimizing patient-owned ACPs. Conclusion: The public healthcare system in Queensland exerts considerable influence over the degree to which ACPs influence decision-making. Despite the premise that ACPs give patients a powerful voice, hospital doctors often do not understand the underpinning law on which they depend when citing their responsibility for good medical practice. Systemic influences have contributed to a practice culture that has delegitimized the patient's voice when expressed through an ACP.

Multidisciplinary Clinicians and the Relational Autonomy of Persons with Neurodegenerative Disorders and an Advance Care Plan: A Thematic Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: People diagnosed with neurodegenerative disorders often grapple with threats to their agency, prompting some to engage in advance care planning. Advance care plans are intended to protect autonomy by helping patients receive goal-consistent healthcare. Accordingly, there is a need to better understand factors associated with hospital doctors' application of advance care plans to treatment decisions of this patient cohort. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explain the recommendations of multidisciplinary hospital-based clinicians about the benefits of advance care plans for people diagnosed with neurodegenerative disorders, and the elements that influence how doctors apply such plans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using a constructivist grounded theory informed thematic analysis, semi-structured interviews were conducted with purposively and theoretical sampled hospital-based clinicians: 16 doctors, six registered nurses and 10 allied health clinicians who self-reported having experience delivering healthcare to people with neurodegenerative disorders and an advance care plan. Allied health and nurse data helped to inform questions posed to doctors. Data were inductively analysed using open and focused coding. RESULTS: Analysis revealed two main themes: recommending agency through advance care plans; and limiting agency through advance care plans. These themes formed the basis of the core category: patient agency. All clinicians held positive attitudes towards advance care plans as a means to preserve patient voices and alleviate family of responsibility. However, the extent to which doctors shared decisions with family revealed a tension between individualistic agency associated with advance care plans and relational autonomy perceived by doctors as appropriate. CONCLUSION: Although doctors expressed positive attitudes towards advance care plans, they typically practiced relational autonomy wherein they partner with family in contemporaneous healthcare decision on patients' behalf. Accordingly, the healthcare preferences of hospitalised, incompetent people with neurodegenerative disorders are balanced against judgements of both doctors and family.

Advance Care Plans and the Potentially Conflicting Interests of Bedside Patient Agents: A Thematic Analysis.

AIM: People diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disorder often contend with a threat to independence and control, leading some to complete an advance care plan. Advance care plans are commonly associated with treatment limitations; however, key patient agents (such as doctors, allied health, nurses and family) may instead make temporal, best interests or good medical practice decisions on behalf of the patient. Accordingly, there is a need to better understand ancillary decision-maker's perspectives, particularly of doctors. PURPOSE: To explain how the potentially conflicting interests of bedside patient agents operates as a factor which influences doctors' application of advance care plans of people with a neurodegenerative disorder. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Using a constructivist grounded theory informed thematic analysis, 38 semi-structured interviews were conducted with hospital-based doctors, allied health, nurses and family of people with a neurodegenerative disorder who had an advance care plan. Data were inductively analysed using open and focused coding. RESULTS: Analysis revealed two main themes: dynamics of discerning best interests; and avoiding conflict. Rather than applying advance care plans, doctors largely involved families to attempt best interests decision-making partnerships on patients' behalf. Bedside agents demonstrated significant intra and interpersonal challenges associated with their roles as patient agents. Doctors appeared protective of families and patients with neurodegenerative disorder. CONCLUSION: Although bedside agents value advance care plans, doctors often favour temporal healthcare decisions in consultation with family. We suggest there are limitations to the effectiveness of advance care plans in practice, with application typically only occurring close to death. Despite the intentions of advance care planning, bedside agents may still experience considerable dissonance.

Validation of the Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment short form (KICA-screen) for telehealth.

INTRODUCTION: Studies show Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are at increased risk of dementia. Whilst there have been several studies evaluating the use of telehealth for improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health outcomes, and studies validating telehealth dementia screening tools for the wider community, none have addressed the pressing need for culturally appropriate telehealth dementia screening for this at-risk population. The aim of the study was to examine the utility of using a culturally appropriate dementia screening tool (KICA-screen) in a telehealth setting. METHODS: A prospective field trial was used to compare administration of the short version of the Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (KICA-screen) face-to-face and via telehealth. A total of 33 medically stable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inpatients/outpatients participated. The stability of the KICA-screen scores, administered face-to-face and via telehealth, for each participant was measured. RESULTS: The two test delivery methods showed not only good correlation (Pearson's r = 0.851; p < 0.01) but good agreement (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.85; p < 0.01). DISCUSSION: Results of the assessment showed that KICA-screen can be reliably administered via videoconference and resulted in comparable scores to face-to-face testing in the majority of cases. The telehealth process was acceptable to participants, who were able to understand the process and complete the full screen remotely.

Factors Which Influence Hospital Doctors' Advance Care Plan Adherence.

CONTEXT: Advances in medicine have seen changes in mortality in Western countries. Simultaneously, countries such as Australia, Canada, U.S., New Zealand, U.K., and Germany have encouraged consumer-directed care and advance care plan (ACP) completion, giving patients a voice despite incapacity. Adhering to ACPs relies on the decision-making of treating doctors, making hospital doctors key partners, and their perspectives on ACP adherence critical. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this review was to explore and map existing research on factors associated with hospital doctors adhering to adult patients' ACPs. METHODS: A scoping review of English language publications within CINAHL, Emcare, Medline, PsycInfo, and Scopus was conducted, following PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. ACPs were defined as adult patient-generated, written health care directions or values statements. Studies of any design, which reported original research associated with hospital doctors adhering to ACPs, were included. RESULTS: Twenty-seven publications were included in the final analysis. Results suggested ACPs were thought potentially useful; however, adherence has been associated with doctors' attributes (e.g., specialty, seniority), attitudes toward ACP (e.g., applicability), and legal knowledge. CONCLUSION: Current literature suggests doctors hold largely positive attitudes toward ACPs that provide useful patient information that enables doctors to make appropriate treatment decisions. Doctors often perceive limitations to ACP applicability due to legal requirements or ambiguity of patient outcome goals.

Facing the times: A young onset dementia support group: Facebook™ style.

Young onset dementia accounts for up to 1 in 10 dementia diagnoses. Those diagnosed face premature transition into the realm of aged care services and adjustment to an illness of ageing prior to age 65. To help elicit communication of the perceived psychosocial needs of this group, provide a platform to gain peer support and advocate for increased awareness, the Young Onset Dementia Support Group was established on the social networking site, Facebook™ . Followers post comments, read educational or otherwise interesting news feeds, share inspirational quotes and access others living with dementia worldwide. Facebook provides a means of rapid global reach in a way that allows people with dementia to increase their communications and potentially reduce isolation. This paper was authored by the page administrators. We aim to highlight the promising utility of a social network platform just entering its stride amongst health communication initiatives.

Managing dementia-related cognitive decline in patients and their caregivers.

BACKGROUND: There are over 332 000 Australians living with dementia. On average, families notice symptoms 3 years before a firm diagnosis is made. These symptoms are chronic and typically progressive and terminal. OBJECTIVE: To address some key aspects of providing person-centred care for a patient diagnosed with dementia, including considerations for family and caregivers, from a general practitioner's (GP) perspective. DISCUSSION: GPs play a crucial part in managing the needs of people with dementia and caregivers by providing ongoing support and by facilitating access to evidence-based care. Scheduled, regular reviews of people with dementia and their caregivers should become standard practice, and psychosocial interventions that can assist both parties should be offered.

Improving nursing management of patients with diabetes using an action research approach.

Nurses in an acute hospital implemented an action research process supporting changes to the assessment and management of acutely ill patients admitted with diabetes and other co-morbidities. An audit of practice identified inaccurate documentation and uncoordinated care that included inflexible protocols for blood glucose level (BGL) assessment and administration of insulin, unrelated to patients' meals and snacks, that in some instances resulted in hypoglycemic episodes. Specialist nurses and ward staff collaborated to improve practice by increasing nurses' knowledge of insulin and by designing and trialing a blood glucose monitoring form that enabled a more individualised approach to patient care. A subsequent audit showed improved coordination of BGL measurement and insulin administration in relation to meals, sustained over eighteen months, and increased accuracy in documentation.