Advance Care Planning Education as an Intervention in the Telehealth Setting

Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase patient knowledge and confidence regarding advance care planning topics. Background: Advance care planning is a vital component of the healthcare system and it is necessary in order to provide the best patient outcomes. As the population grows and ages, the need for this type of planning is crucial. When advance care planning is properly utilized and included in the continuum of care, the patient population is more likely to receive care that aligns with their goals; overtreatment is minimized. However, despite its importance and implications, advance care planning is often overlooked and underutilized. An identified cause of this problem is lack of education or understanding of advance care planning topics. Methods: This quality improvement project took place on November 19, 2020 at the Telehealth Learning Clinic (TLC) at the University of Arizona’s College of Nursing via Zoom. The design was a pre-/post-test with an online educational intervention. The pre-test was administered prior to the educational session to assess participants’ baseline knowledge. This was followed by the educational session and subsequently the post-test. Both tests and the educational session occurred on the same day over a period of approximately 30 minutes. Results: A total of 12 standardized patients participated in the quality improvement project. All 12 participants completed the pre-test and post-test (100%). There were no significant changes in patient knowledge (p=0.53) or confidence (p=1). Conclusions: This quality improvement project was successfully implemented. However, due to the limitations posed by the simulated learning environment, future quality improvement projects will need to be implemented within the healthcare organization before the results can be deemed effective clinically