“Survey Finds Health Care Professionals Lack Materials and Training for Advance Care Planning in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients”

A recent study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences reveals that health care professionals (HCPs) in Denmark lack materials and training to conduct advance care planning (ACP) for patients suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD). The study conducted by Christina Egmose Frandsen, R.N. and colleagues from Odense University Hospital included 207 participants, consisting of nephrologists, physicians, nurses, and other HCPs. The study found that 27 percent of the participants had undergone ACP training, while two-thirds of the respondents reported that they lacked access to materials about ACP for CKD patients. Nearly 46 percent of the respondents performed ACP conversations ad hoc, and less than half of the participants reported performing ACP well at their workplace. The study revealed that the barriers to ACP included lack of time, experience, and procedure. Nurses felt less skilled and comfortable in engaging in ACP, while participants with over 10 years of experience were more likely to feel skilled and comfortable. The authors suggest that education and training in ACP for CKD patients and their families is crucial to ensure comfortability among HCPs and facilitate involvement in ACP conversations.