Advance Directives: Conference on Research and Methods and Priorities. Abstract,Executive Summary and Appendices, 1 and 2 of a Conference

摘要

A recent Federal statute endorsed advance directives as one means for patients tocontrol medical decisions in advance of a period of incompetence. We invited 36 investigators to a conference to reflect on current research and develop priorities for conceptual and empirical research. Conference participants agreed that conceptual and empirical research should focus on the merits of a process of communication titled 'advance care planning.' Priorities for conceptual research included: (1) the moral weight of autonomy; (2) what preferences should be voiced in advance (considering importance, authenticity and stability); and (3) appropriate safeguards. Multidisciplinary empirical research utilizing both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies should describe the current process and outcomes of decision-making generally. Plans of care for dying persons pose particular needs for clinicians, and priorities for research.