Advance Care Planning

Advance care planning is a means for the health care professional to help patients and their families make known and record their thoughts, feelings and wishes regarding future health care. Consideration of these feelings, thoughts and wishes can then direct ongoing care planning.

Considerations for advance care planning could include:

Understanding prognosis and usual course of the disease
Assisting the patient to achieve personal goals
Advising the patient on future decision making
The Medical Treatment Act and Refusal of Treatment
Wills
Planning a funeral
Genetic counselling

PCV leaflets are available on many of the above topics and these may be useful to give to patients.

For more detailed information refer to Advance Care Planning and Genetic counselling.