Download or read book Palliative Medicine written by Susan MacDonald and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021-09-30 with total page 421 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Advance care planning (ACP) conversations and goals of care (GOC) discussions prepare patients and their substitute decision makers for medical decision making. When rooted in a patient's values and person-centred in approach, ACP and GOC discussions can optimize the likelihood a person receives care that is concordant with their goals. This chapter explores the definitions and clinical processes for ACP and GOC discussions and describes how a patient's values and goals can directly inform medical decision making. Differences in ACP among healthy individuals and seriously ill, common communication challenges and the pitfalls of a treatment-centered approach are described. We underscore the importance of illness understanding and provide tips on addressing prognosis. Finally, health care system impacts of ACP and GOC are considered"--