Application and verification of U.S. advance care planning in elderly Japanese patients with chronic illnesses

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25463540
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Gerontological nursing
• Research Institution: Tokyo Health Care University
• Principal Investigator: SAKURAI Chihoko 東京医療保健大学, 医療保健学部, 准教授 (40344973)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): IKEZAKI Sumie 千葉大学, 大学院看護学研究科, 准教授 (60445202)
• Research Collaborator: IZUMI Shigeko Oregon Health & Science University, 助教
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: アドバンス・ケア・プランニング / 慢性疾患（非がん） / 高齢者 / エンドオブライフケア / 意思決定

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study is to conduct a trial application of advance care planning (ACP), which is the process of making advance care decisions through discussion with a patient and their family for the event that an elderly patient with a chronic illness becomes unable to make their own decisions as a result of deteriorated health, in order to verify its efficacy and feasibility in Japan.
Subjects comprised 11 patients with a mean age of 75.9 years. Patients found it difficult to respond to questions about values related to quality of life. Patients who had experienced a life-threatening situation felt positively about decisions concerning desire for life-prolonging treatment. Regarding the efficacy of the interview, although patients who had already decided how they would approach their final days did not regard the ACP interview as useful, more than half of the patients viewed it as an opportunity to look back on their life and consider the future.

Free Research Field

エンドオブライフケア，がん看護