A cross-sectional survey published in JAMA Network Open found that families had a poor understanding of their adolescent’s values in terms of their own end-of-life (EOL) care with respect to when to initiate EOL conversations and preference for being off machines that extend life, if dying.
Researchers indicated that pediatric advance care planning (ACP) could aid in minimizing these misunderstandings, possibly even affecting the broader domain of clinical practice guidelines for quality palliative care.
“Access to (pediatric ACP) to increase congruence for interested and ready adolescent-family dyads may be more beneficial than simply asking adolescents about their EOL treatment preferences by helping families with the burdens of making EOL decisions, ensuring that adolescents’ preferences are heard, and opening up conversations on topics that both the adolescent and…
