Young adults and advance care planning

Abstract

Advance care planning (ACP) is often thought to be for the old or seriously ill, but young adults often experience unexpected accidents, leaving them unable to communicate their wishes for medical care. As the medical community strives toward person-centered care, not having an advance directive (AD) inhibits planning toward individual desires and places an unnecessary burden on next-of-kin to make choices for the patient. There is no comprehensive rule about when ACP should start. Ideally, it is an ongoing dialogue between individuals, their families, and their providers. This study explored young adults and advance care planning in the United States through the lens of Symbolic Interaction Theory and Systems Theory while examining the association of age and race/ethnicity on completing the tasks of ACP, the impact of having been exposed to ACP discussion with elders, the relationship of knowledge and health status, as well as the impact of experience with death on willingness to engage in those discussions. Recommendations for practitioners and future research are also addressed.