Advance Care Planning in Healthcare Systems: A Literature Review and Call to Action

Advance care planning is a vital part of healthcare delivery concordant with patient wishes. The practice of advance care planning entails patient-provider conversations regarding treatment wishes including end-of-life care, documentation of these decisions by advance directives, and action upon such decisions at the appropriate time. Despite patient and provider appreciation of advance care planning, the practice remains under-utilized. In this review we discuss the history and benefits of advance care planning. We describe the features of efficient practice of advance care planning and perceived barriers that need surpassing. Finally, we discuss potential clinical pathways, the need for research in advance care planning, and stakeholder action needed to promote advance care planning across healthcare systems.