Fidelity is fundamental: intervention predictors in advance care plans in terminal cancer

What is it about?

Health professionals can help patients and family members to plan ahead about what care they would want at the end of life. Studies are being conducted to determine if such planning (called advance care planning, or ACP) helps patients and relatives. It is important in such studies, that the ACP is delivered consistently and well, but this is rarely assessed. In our study, we developed a tool to assess "fidelity" (how well the ACP was delivered), and applied it it to audiotaped ACP sessions. We found that the content of ACP was delivered well, but the quality, or emotional support, was delivered less well. Still, as long as the content was delivered well, patients appeared to receive care that matched their preferences at the end of life.

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