A meta‐synthesis on the older adults' perspective of advance care planning

Abstract

Aim To synthesise the evidence regarding older adults' perception of advance care planning in preparation for end‐of‐life care. Background Advance care planning involves continuous communication of end‐of‐life care goals involving an individual's medical treatment preferences. However, its uptake among older adults remains low. Design The meta‐synthesis was conducted according to the Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative research (ENTREQ) guidelines and thematic synthesis was employed to synthesise the qualitative findings in an inductive manner. Data Source A search was completed on six electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus), for publications from 1 January 2000 to 4 December 2021. Review Method The certainty of the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation and Confidence (GRADE‐CERQual) in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research. Two independent reviewers conducted this process, and disagreements were resolved through discussions. Results Fourteen studies were analysed. Four major themes and eleven subthemes emerged from the thematic synthesis: (1) psychosocial preparedness, (2) medical preparedness, (3) psychological barriers towards advance care planning and (4) extrinsic barriers towards advance care planning. Discussion These themes consolidated older adults' views of advance care planning and how engagement in this planning affected their end‐of‐life preparedness. Conclusion This review suggested psychological and extrinsic factors were barriers to the uptake of advance care planning and provided directions for future research to achieve a holistic understanding of the impact of advance care planning on end‐of‐life preparedness. Relevance to Clinical Practice Healthcare professionals could maintain close communication with older adults and families periodically to evaluate their readiness to discuss advance care planning to improve their preparedness. Healthcare professionals could also provide psychological support during the discussion of clinical decision‐making to enhance readiness and confidence among older adults and their families.