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An advance directive (AD) is a legal document that becomes operational when a patient loses decisional capacity; it can state treatment goals and preferences, designate a surrogate decision-maker, or serve both functions. ADs are considered to be a key element of advance care planning (ACP). In this qualitative study, U.S. researchers conducted telephone interviews with 29 community-dwelling adults (median age, 72) who had been admitted and discharged from the hospital for a chronic medical illness (e.g., cancer, heart failure, lung disease) to explore their views regarding ADs and ACP.
Researchers discerned three themes from the 20 participants who had ADs: (1) AD forms were generic, captured few details, and often were completed with the a…