Key points
- Talk to your patients about advance care planning often so you understand their wishes
- Be empathetic and non-judgemental about their choices
- There are lots of resources to help you get started
Understanding your role
All health and aged care staff have a role in the advance care planning process. Understanding your role can help you empower people to have an enduring voice in their care. Your role is to:
- understand the principles of advance care planning
- start and continue conversations about advance care planning
- use inclusive approaches to advance care planning
- support the person to record their wishes and preferences in advance care planning documents
- understand how advance care planning informs care and treatment when decisions about care need to be made.
You must be mindful of professional, legal and ethical obligations which govern these activities. At all times, you must act within your scope of practice and organisational policy and procedures.
Organisations should get legal and insurance advice about advance care planning in non-health environments and the role of staff who aren’t registered health professionals.
We have a range of printable resources for health professionals, see our support materials.
Health and aged care services can order bulk community resources via our direct ordering system.
Starting and continuing advance care planning conversations
Advance care planning can be introduced to adults at any age or state of health. It can help you understand and respect a person’s wishes when they’re unable to make or communicate decisions about health care. When you’re starting these conversations, remember this is a voluntary process. It’s up to the person if, how and when they engage with it.
Having conversations with people about their future health decisions is an important part of ongoing health care. It’s rarely just a one-off conversation. You can help them understand:
- why it’s important to start planning for their future health care
- how their values and preferences might shape their decisions about future health care and medical treatment
- how to make specific instructions about future medical care or treatments
- the benefits of appointing a substitute decision-maker who can make health care and treatment decisions for them, if they’re unable to
- why it’s important to use the formal advance care planning documents in their state or territory if they want to record their choices
- how to store and review their advance care planning documents.
When discussing advance care planning, use a communication approach that’s empathetic, non-judgemental and patient. Key qualities of this style of communication include compassion, sensitivity, being gentle, curious and humble. These qualities create an atmosphere of trust and openness, encouraging honest communication.
Phrases to get you started
I try to talk to all my patients about how they’d want to be cared for if they became more unwell. I also ask what they’d want if they were suddenly unable to make their own health care decisions. Have you ever thought about this?
I’m pleased to see you recovering from your recent illness. Have you thought about the treatment outcomes that you would or wouldn’t want if you became very sick again?
Who would you like me to talk to if you become unable to talk to me about important health or treatment decisions?
What does it mean to you to ‘live well’? What are your goals at this time?
What do you understand about where things stand right now with your illness?
Thank you for clarifying your values and goals. Does your family [or caregivers or friends] know what you’d want?
I can put you in touch with Advance Care Planning Australia who can provide information and resources to help you start the process. Would that be helpful?
To learn more about starting and continuing advance care planning conversations, try our microlearning campaigns.
Voluntary assisted dying in advance care planning conversations
A person may want to discuss voluntary assisted dying (VAD) in advance care planning conversations. It’s important to listen, be open, and respect their wish to discuss VAD. VAD is one end of life choice an adult with terminal illness can make. VAD cannot be requested in an advance care directive. The person must retain decision-making capacity to access VAD.
Continuing advance care planning conversations and completing advance care planning documents is still important when a person wishes to access VAD. As well as explaining how VAD can be accessed, you can use this as an opportunity to explore why the person is interested in VAD. This can open up a conversation about the kind of health outcomes they would find unacceptable and how advance care planning can support their values and preferences. Find out more about exploring Values and preferences.
Watch this video which explores the differences between VAD and advance care planning, and key laws relating to these processes, including health professional’s legal obligations. This video is designed for health professionals and aged care providers. Voluntary assisted dying and advance care planning.
Read more in our factsheets about navigating the topic of voluntary assisted dying in advance care planning conversations:
- Guiding principles for health professionals [PDF 329.02 KB]
- Guiding principles for health and aged care organisations [PDF 357.54 KB]
Learn more in the End of Life Law for Clinicians Module 11 on the Palliative Care Education Collaborative website.
Self-care
It's natural for health and aged care staff having sensitive conversations about end of life decisions to feel a variety of emotions related to the work. Developing strategies to promote wellbeing is important to build resilience. Within your practice consider self-reflection on personal and professional experiences that cause emotional responses. Participate in debriefing, build confidence through development of knowledge and skills in advance care planning and practice self-care. Access these key links:
If you have any questions or need more information about advance care planning in your workplace, you can contact us. Our Advance Care Planning Australia National Advisory Line is open for health and aged care staff.
Support and more information
If you have any questions or need more information about advance care planning in your workplace, you can contact us.
Our National Advance Care Planning Advisory Service is open for health and aged care staff.
Call us on 1300 208 582
Email us at acpa@advancecareplanning.org.au
We're here from 8 am to 4 pm (AEST), Monday to Friday.
Order resources
We have a range of printable resources for health professionals, see our support materials or order bulk packs of community resources.
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