New resources help clinicians have better advance care planning conversations
Advance care planning is one of the most important conversations in healthcare, but can it also be one of the most challenging topics of conversations to navigate sensitively between healthcare teams and patients.
To help clinicians feel more confident discussing future healthcare preferences and end-of-life care with patients and families, 2 new educational videos have been released by End of Life Law for Clinicians and Advance Care Planning Australia.
The short, practical videos are designed to support general practitioners (GPs), practice nurses and other health professionals working in primary care. The free videos cover:
Understanding advance care directives – learn which parts of an Advance Care Directive are legally binding and what this means for clinical decisions.
Starting advance care planning conversations – get practical tips for starting and continuing advance care planning discussions with patients and families.
Discussing advance care planning early gives patients more opportunity to share what matters most to them while they have decision-making capacity, ideally while still well. Preparing a formalised plan or advance care directive with patients also helps their families and healthcare teams to comply with the law when making care decisions that reflect the person’s wishes when they may be in no fit condition to communicate or advocate for themselves.
Healthcare professionals can find more resources on the Advance Care Planning Australia website to help strengthen confidence in advance care planning conversations and end of life decision-making.
Helpful links
Further information and resources on advance care planning for healthcare professionals:
Access free End of Life Law for Clinicians learning modules from the Palliative Care Education and Training Collaborative, funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Delivered by QUT, the modules are CPD-accredited for eligible clinicians.
Health professionals working in aged care settings can access the free End of Life Law Toolkit from ELDAC, a national specialist palliative care and advance care planning advisory service funded by the Australian Government.
Advance Care Planning Australia provides more information for patients on planning for future and end of life care for each state and territory, including Queensland.