Advance Care Planning: GPs to give insights on how it can work
Preliminary results of a new study, “Advance Care Planning in Primary Care”, have found a number of reasons behind the low uptake of Advance Care Planning (ACP) in Australia. For instance:

• Societal reluctance to talk about end-of-life issues and ACP
• Relatives and / or patients not wanting to go there
• GPs not remunerated and too busy to spend time doing ACP.

The study also found that even when people engage in ACP, the resultant plans are often not implemented. There are many reasons for this including:

• Problems accessing documents when needed
• The future is unpredictable! Difficulty making decisions in advance for unpredictable future situations.

This study investigating different perspectives on ACP is being conducted by General Practice / Primary Care researchers at the Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity at the University of New South Wales.

In addition to above, the researchers would like to find out GPs’ views on why and for what purpose should ACP be conducted; and how these discussions should be conducted and then implemented. As well as GP perspectives the researchers hope to learn how different patients, their carers and families think about ACP. The findings of this study could help shape ACP to suit the needs of GPs, their patients, carers and loved ones.

It is a qualitative study using face to face interviews lasting between 45-60 minutes and GPs will be offered a $150 honorarium in appreciation of their time. GPs are also asked to help in recruiting one or two patients who are willing to be involved in the study. At the completion of the study, participants will be offered a summary of the main findings of the study as well as copies of publications that may arise from this study.

If you would like more information please refer to the information sheet for GPs enclosed with this newsletter or contact Dr Joel Rhee at the University of New South Wales on 0405 355 125 or j.rhee@unsw.edu.au. There is also a patient invitation flyer available.

Care Search
CareSearch, an online resource on palliative care, provides immediate access to information, evidence and resources. Information can be found for health care professionals, community / patients and families starting from the most basic to more complex evidence. Information specific to GPs is available at:
http://www.caresearch.com.au

The information covers a range of issues from:
• Medicare
• Providing palliative care in RACFs
• Supporting families
• Managing emergencies • Approaching discussions around Palliative and ACPs
• Resources
• Links to relevant websites There are also videos available in English, Greek, Cantonese, and Italian.