title: Advance Care Planning in Nurse Practitioner Practice: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study.
abstract: It is estimated that the number of people who die of life-limiting illnesses in Canada will double by the year 2056. Advance care planning (ACP) is one way to improve the quality of end-of-life care. ACP is a process of ongoing discussions whereby a person communicates important values and desired outcomes at the end of life prior to healthcare crises. Nurse practitioners (NP) commonly diagnose and plan healthcare for patients who may have life-limiting conditions and thus are in a strategic position to engage patients in ACP. Currently, we have a poor understanding of the extent and nature of NP involvement in ACP. This descriptive study explored Ontario NPs' knowledge, beliefs and level of implementation of ACP. NPs employed in hospital settings were significantly more likely to engage in ACP with patients and to have a policy governing ACP initiation compared with their community-employed counterparts. There were no significant differences between the NPs in these two settings in the beliefs, attitudes or personal comfort in initiating ACP. Implications for education, practice and research are provided.
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON.
authors.forename: Lori
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rietze
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Heale
authors.affiliation: Nurse Practitioner, Health Sciences North/Horizon Santé Nord, Sudbury, ON.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.affiliation: Clinical Nurse Specialist, Adjunct Professor, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON.
authors.forename: Stacey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roles
mesh_terms: D032722:Advance Care Planning; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D009722:Nurse Practitioners; D009864:Ontario; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D010347:Patient Care Planning