Advance Care Planning

What is Advance Care Planning?

Advance care planning is a process that enables individuals to make decisions about their future medical treatment and care. 

It allows people to plan for a time when they may not be able to make decisions for themselves.

The process involves individuals talking with their health care providers, family and significant others about the medical treatments and care they would and wouldn't want if they were unable to speak for themselves.

An important aspect of the process is ensuring that the individual is fully informed about their medical condition and the benefits and burdens of medical treatment.

Some individuals choose to document their wishes in writing - this is called an advance care plan. 

A copy of this plan can be kept in the individual's medical record and would only be used if the individual is unable to speak for themselves.

Why is Advance Care Planning important?

All adults who have the capacity to make decisions for themselves have the right to participate in making decisions about the medical treatment and care that they will receive. 

There may come a time however, that a person becomes unable to make decisions or participate in the decision making process.  This may be because they are very ill, unconscious or confused either temporarily or permanently (for example, dementia). 

Advance care planning prepares for this, by providing the opportunity for people to express their wishes in advance.  These wishes can then inform discussion and decision making and support the doctors and family/significant others to make appropriate decisions about medical care.

Discussing choices now can assist family/significant others to express the wishes of their loved one, should they be unable to speak for themselves in the future.

Without advance care planning, family/significant others may find themselves in the position of having to make decisions without knowing what the person would have wanted.

The Respecting Patient Choices (RPC) Program

The Respecting Patient Choices Program is a comprehensive advance care planning program. 

Based on the Respecting Choices® program developed by the Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation (GLMF) in Wisconsin, USA, the Respecting Patient Choices Program in Australia has adapted the original Respecting Choices Program in order to ensure that it is applicable to the Australian health care system.

nb. Exclusive licence for the RPC program in Australia is held by Austin Health, all copywrite documents are used with permission...