Advance Care Planning and End‐of‐Life Care for Hospitalized Nursing Home Residents

Abstract

Limiting discussion of advance care plans to cardiopulmonary resuscitation falsely dichotomized and oversimplified the choices about medical treatment and care at end-of-life, especially palliative care alternatives, for these older nursing home residents. Formal hospice services were underutilized, and palliative care efforts by nursing home staff were often inconsistent with accepted standards. These results reinforce the need for research and program initiatives in long-term care to improve and facilitate individualized ACP and palliative care at end of life.