What Is Advance Care Planning (ACP)?
Advance care planning is the process by which people think about their preferences for medical care should they become unable to speak for themselves.
The Need for ACP
In the current healthcare world, there is substantial misalignment between the medical care people want during serious illness and the medical care they actually receive. Unfortunately, people are often not empowered to speak up for the kind of care they want, and clinicians are often not trained to talk with patients about their treatment options and preferences. When it does happen, the process sometimes consists of checkbox forms and jargon-laden hypotheticals, rather than meaningful conversations about preferences, values and goals over time. Short-circuited conversations can too easily lead to the provision of aggressive care, which in many instances is not in line with a patient’s best interests or values.
Identified by the American Academy of Physicians as one of the top high-quality, low-cost interventions for healthcare systems and providers for increasing patient satisfaction, advance care planning can lead to:
- Improved patient and family satisfaction
- More efficient allocation of resources
- Reduced readmissions
- Improved facilitation of skilled nursing facility transfers
- Reduced provider stress
- Proper use of POLST
How CCCC Can Help
The Coalition for Compassionate Care of California (CCCC) provides many tools and resources to help providers have more meaningful conversations about their patients' preferences, values and goals for their medical care.
ACP Conversation Training
Advance care planning programs require training, materials, and resources to teach, guide and document conversations about advance care planning and goals of care. ACP Client Services provides expert level training in either direct-to-staff or train-the-trainer format. Following training, your clinicians will be able to provide high-quality advance care planning. Having trainers within your organization will make your program self-sustaining.
If advance care planning training is already operational in your organization, our team can help you evaluate your current processes and refine and improve your training with fresh tools and new curriculum.
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Contact us and learn more about how ACP Client Services can help your organization and your patients.
ACP Tools and Resources
While sudden changes in your life, such as you or a loved one being involved in an accident or becoming seriously ill, can be hard to prepare for emotionally, there are ways to ensure that you receive the type of compassionate care you want – when you need it most. CCCC has the tools and resources to meet your needs. Our proven materials are ready to use, vetted for literacy levels, and have been demonstrated to be effective. We also offer a variety of translation options.
The Coalition for Compassionate Care of California (CCCC) encourages you to talk to your loved ones now about your wishes for medical care and treatment in the event that you are unable to speak for yourself. Planning ahead for future medical needs is the best way to ensure that your wishes will be respected.
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If you’re not sure how to have these difficult conversations, don’t know where to begin or what form to use, we have resources that can assist you.