pt. I. Advance care planning : promise and challenge -- pt. II. Best practices for communicating about end-of-life care -- pt. III. Implementing advance care planning : model programs -- pt. IV. Systems level change : charting a new path for dying, death, and end-of-life care -- pt. V. Resources.
Summary
While advance directives hold a great deal of promise for ensuring self-determination and quality of life near its end, the majority of Americans face life-threatening illness without having completed effective advance care planning. This volume recounts the history of advance directives, chronicling the evolution of an approach that initially focused on completing forms, to one that now emphasizes more comprehensive strategies for facilitating conversations about end-of-life care and planning for dying and death. It provides helpful strategies for initiating and guiding discussions among pro.