Scoping review of development and application of end-of-life decision aids for elderly patients
10.3760/cma.j.cn211501-20240103-00016
- VernacularTitle:老年患者临终决策辅助工具开发及应用的范围综述
- Author:
Yueshan GAO
1
;
Qi ZHANG
;
Zheng JI
;
Tingting JIANG
;
Baoyu ZHAO
;
Qian CHEN
Author Information
1. 四川大学华西医院老年医学中心/四川大学华西护理学院，成都 610041
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Aged;
Decision-making;
Terminal care;
Patient decision aids;
Scoping review
- From:
Chinese Journal of Practical Nursing
2025;41(3):227-233
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:The development and application of end-of-life patient decision aids for elderly were systematically reviewed and analyzed in order to supply guidance for the design of localized patient decision aids in China.Methods:Using the Scoping Review Guidelines as a methodological framework, a systematic search was conducted across databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, China Biology Medicine, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and BIOSIS. The search period covered from the inception of these databases to October 31, 2023. Two professionally trained researchers were responsible for screening, extracting, and organizing the retrieved literature.Results:A total of 5 studies on decision aids were included. These primarily employed paper graphics, interactive web pages, or multimedia slides as formats. The content encompassed various aspects such as palliative care options along with their pros and cons, assisting patients in clarifying their personal values, encouraging patients to document their decision-making preferences, and initiating end-of-life conversations with family members. Age-friendly design strategies were adopted in 4 studies; efficacy was validated in 3 studies, and in two of these studies, significant improvements were observed in engagement of patients (or substitute decision-makers) in ACP and the consistency of decision preferences (both P< 0.05). Conclusions:End-of-life decision aids for elderly patients can improve decision-making outcomes to some extent, however, the form and quality standards of them need to be improved, and their long-term effect needs further research and verification. It is recommended that in the future, the needs for end-of-life decision-making should be properly assessed based on the health literacy level, and high-quality localized end-of-life decision aids should be developed and popularized.
