Advance care planning is a """"""""process of communication among patients, their health-care providers, their families, and important others regarding the kind of care that will be considered appropriate when the patient cannot make decisions."""""""" It typically involves the use of advance directive forms outlining specific instructions, and/or the designation of a proxy decision-maker. Despite generally positive attitudes toward advance directives, few people actually complete advance directives, fewer yet understand key elements necessary for meaningful advance care planning, and even well-documented advance directives are routinely disregarded. Since the absence of planning leads to unwanted medical interventions, loss of independence, needless suffering, and financial burdens to patients, their families, and society, there is an urgent need to improve the process of advance care planning. With this study we propose to develop, refine, and evaluate a computer-based decision aid for advance care planning, through three Specific Aims: (1) To produce an interactive computer program/decision aid for helping people with the process of advance care planning. (2) To use Multi-Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT) to help users a) identify their true preferences for elements of advance care planning, and b) articulate them accurately. (3) To evaluate the computer program for ease of use, acceptability, and its effects on knowledge, attitudes, and psychological states; to assess the predictive accuracy of the MAUT model in clarifying users' values and goals. If successful, this decision aid will help to protect patients' autonomy, preserve their independence, and promote the sensible use of health-care resources.
| Levi, Benjamin H; Simmons, Zachary; Hanna, Courtney et al. (2017) Advance care planning for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener 18:388-396 |
| Schubart, Jane R; Levi, Benjamin H; Dellasega, Cheryl et al. (2014) Factors that affect decisions to receive (or not receive) life-sustaining treatment in advance care planning. J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv 52:38-44 |
| Green, Michael J; Levi, Benjamin H (2012) The era of ""e"": the use of new technologies in advance care planning. Nurs Outlook 60:376-383.e2 |
| Schubart, Jane R; Levi, Benjamin H; Camacho, Fabian et al. (2012) Reliability of an interactive computer program for advance care planning. J Palliat Med 15:637-42 |
| Green, Michael J; Levi, Benjamin H (2011) Teaching advance care planning to medical students with a computer-based decision aid. J Cancer Educ 26:82-91 |
| Levi, Benjamin H; Heverley, Steven R; Green, Michael J (2011) Accuracy of a decision aid for advance care planning: simulated end-of-life decision making. J Clin Ethics 22:223-38 |
| Levi, Benjamin H; Green, Michael J (2010) Doing what we can with advance care planning. Am J Bioeth 10:W1-2 |
| Levi, Benjamin H; Dellasega, Cheryl; Whitehead, Megan et al. (2010) What influences individuals to engage in advance care planning? Am J Hosp Palliat Care 27:306-12 |
| Levi, Benjamin H; Green, Michael J (2010) Too soon to give up: re-examining the value of advance directives. Am J Bioeth 10:3-22 |
| Green, Michael J; Levi, Benjamin H (2009) Development of an interactive computer program for advance care planning. Health Expect 12:60-9 |
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