End-of-Life Care Planning: Improving Documentation of Advance Directives in the Outpatient Clinic Using Electronic Medical Records

摘要

Background: The right to self-determination is fundamental in clinical ethics. End-of-life conversations and advance directives (ADs), in addition to preserving this right, have been shown to decrease the likelihood of in-hospital death, improve the quality of care, and lower health costs in the final week of life. Despite these benefits, the rates of AD documentation are poor.