Table 3 Physician agreement with statements describing ACP about future care at the end of life (n [%])
From: General practitioners perceptions on advance care planning for patients living with dementia
Statement | n* | Strongly disagree | Moderately disagree | Neither agree nor disagree | Moderately agree | Strongly agree | Don’t know | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
a | Advance care planning on end of life care should be initiated at the time of diagnosis of dementia | 133 | 20 [15.0] | 41 [30.8] | 19 [14.3] | 41 [30.8] | 12 [9.0] | 0 |
b | The process of advance care planning should involve revisiting plans with the patient and the family on a highly frequent basis | 133 | 11 [8.3] | 47 [35.3] | 11 [8.3] | 44 [33.1] | 20 [15.0] | 0 |
c | When a patient cannot participate in treatment decisions an advance directive is essential | 132 | 9 [6.8] | 21 [15.8] | 34 [25.6] | 51 [38.3] | 17 [12.8] | 1 [0.8] |
d | The physician should take the initiative to introduce and encourage advance care planning | 133 | 1 [0.8] | 4 [3.0] | 18 [13.5] | 65 [48.9] | 45 [33.8] | 0 |
e | The advance care planning process requires my making family members agree with the physician on goals of care | 133 | 25 [18.8] | 45 [33.8] | 26 [19.5] | 30 [22.6] | 7 [5.3] | 0 |
f | When family members have difficulty understanding the limitations and complications of life sustaining therapies, the physician cannot successfully guide the advance care planning process | 132 | 4 [3.0] | 47 [35.3] | 26 [19.5] | 46 [34.6] | 9 [6.8] | 1 [0.8] |
g | When the physician cannot make family members accept their loved one’s prognosis, the advance care planning process fails | 130 | 7 [5.3] | 47 [35.3] | 35 [26.3] | 35 [26.3] | 6 [4.5] | 3 [2.3] |
h | There should be an agreed format for advance care plans | 132 | 1 [0.8] | 2 [1.5] | 9 [6.8] | 67 [50.4] | 53 [39.8] | 1 [0.8] |
i | Physicians need improved knowledge to successfully involve families in caring for dementia patients at the end of life | 133 | 1 [0.8] | 6 [4.5] | 20 [15.0] | 65 [48.9] | 41 [30.8] | 0 |
j | The pace of advance care planning is primarily determined by patient’s and family’s willingness to face the end of life | 132 | 1 [0.8] | 11 [8.3] | 19 [14.3] | 64 [48.1] | 37 [27.8] | 1 [0.8] |
k | Families and patients who are involved in advance care planning should become informed about commonly occurring health problems associated with severe dementia, such as pneumonia and intake problems | 133 | 0 | 2 [1.5] | 2 [1.5] | 62 [46.6] | 67 [50.4] | 0 |
l | In the case of increasing severity of dementia, the patient’s best interest may be increasingly served with a primary goal of maximizing comfort | 133 | 1 [0.8] | 0 | 1 [0.8] | 24 [18.0] | 107 [80.5] | 0 |