What Influences Individuals to Engage in Advance Care Planning?

BACKGROUND: Advance care planning (ACP) is an underutilized process that involves thinking about what kind of life-prolonging medical care one would want should the need arise, identifying a spokesperson, and then communicating these wishes. OBJECTIVE: To better understand what influences individuals to engage in ACP. DESIGN: Three focus groups using semistructured interactive interviews were conducted with 23 older individuals from 3 diverse populations in central Pennsylvania. RESULTS: Four categories of influences for engaging in ACP were identified: (1) concern for self; (2) concern for others; (3) expectations about the impact of ACP; and (4) anecdotes, stories, and experiences. CONCLUSIONS: The motivations for undertaking ACP that we have identified offer health care providers insight into effective strategies for facilitating the process of ACP with their patients.