Advance Care Planning
Advance Care Planning (ACP) is a process that enables individuals to make plans about their future health care. Advance care plans provide direction to healthcare professionals when a person is not in a position to make and/or communicate their own healthcare choices.
Advanced planning tools and documentation are underutilized and unknown. Very few healthcare providers (less than 15%) have end of life planning conversations with their patients and few people recognize the need for an advance directive as early as age 18.
UCOA Policy Position
Every Utahn has advance planning documentation available, completed, and health care agents appointed to ensure their choices, values, and care instructions are followed to achieve their desired outcomes and to eliminate unnecessary, costly, and unwanted care.
In this section you will find resources, research and educational, and policy information including ACP care planning document templates and guidance, tools for professionals to conduct important end of life conversations, local and national resources, and guides for ACP. Specific documents approved by the state of Utah for Advance Directives and POLST agreements (Provider Order of Life Sustaining Treatment) are provided below.
Core Documents
POLST Conversation Guide
Important guidance on conducting end of life conversations including the completion of the POLST form (Provider Order of Life Sustaining Treatment).
Resources
Media
Advance Care Planning Overview
Advance Directives
POLST Agreements
Utah POLST with Dr. Camille Collett, MD, MPH
General Resources
Information compiled from the Utah Hospital Association with the goal to improve the end-of-life care for residents in Utah. Resources include: Advanced Directives, Health Care Power-of-Attorney, POLST form, Hospice Care, and Palliative Care information
A guide created by professors from the University of Utah for people with Dementia. The guide is a set of questions to help you prepare for future healthcare needs. It helps you review what you have done for planning for end-of-life care; share your values for how you see your foresee your end-of-life care, and share your preferences.
A public engagement initiative of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) to help everyone talk about their wishes for care through the end-of-life. They offer free tools, guidance and resources to begin talking with those who matter most about your and their wishes. You can download “The Conversation Starter Guide” for free on their website or buy paper copies.
A website that provides a step-by-step program to help you plan your Advance Directives with yourself or your family. The website can also teach you how to use a computer so you can navigate the website and use the 5 step program.
This website provides detailed information and explanation about what the POLST form is and how it is part of your advanced care planning.
Research and Education
A link to the youtube playlist that holds the four podcasts episodes dedicated to talking about Advance Care Planning.
Public Policy
(Link Coming Soon)