John A. Hartford Foundation Supports Report on Disconnect Between Docs and Patients On Advance Planning
While clinicians said talking with patients about end-of-life decisions early was important, patients stated that healthcare providers generally failed to do so effectively, according to a new report from a trio of healthcare foundations.
Both patients and clinicians agreed that advanced care planning conversations should begin when patients are "young, healthy, and cognizant" -- in their 20s and 30s -- yet, some patients in an online focus group described these starter conversations as "brief and transactional" and "not very helpful," said Marcus Escobedo, MPA, a senior program officer at the John A. Hartford Foundation, a private New York City-based philanthropy...