Experiential Insights: Barriers to Advance Care Planning for Quality of Life in Long-Term Care in Private Hospitals
Keywords:
Obstacles, Advanced care, Quality of life, Long-term careAbstract
This research was a qualitative study aimed at exploring the barriers to advance care planning (ACP) concerning quality of life in long-term care. The purposive sample consisted of 26 participants, including palliative care nurses, patients, and family members. Data were collected through two focus group sessions and in-depth interviews, and analyzed using content analysis.
The findings revealed that the barriers to ACP included: lack of knowledge and in-depth understanding, unclear communication, time constraints and workload, inconsistency within the healthcare team, patients’ and families’ cultural beliefs, changes in patients’ health conditions, existing practices and policies, as well as lack of support and resources. Proposed solutions to address these barriers include: providing education, offering communication training, equipping healthcare professionals with effective communication skills to engage patients and families, establishing accessible data management systems using technology for both patients and healthcare providers, offering consultation services with designated advisors to support documentation and record-keeping, developing supportive ACP policies at all levels, and building collaborative networks between hospitals and relevant agencies to strengthen ACP implementation.
In conclusion, ACP can empower individuals to make genuine decisions regarding their own treatment and enhance the quality of long-term care.
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