Involvement of the Dutch General Population in Advance Care Planning : a Cross-Sectional Survey

Background and Objective: Advance care planning (ACP) is a process of communication among patients, health care providers, and relatives regarding end-of-life care. The aim of our study was to determine if a representative sample of the Dutch general public is currently involved or is inclined to be engaged in ACP, and to delineate the factors associated with greater engagement. Methods: An online questionnaire was completed by a representative sample of the Dutch general public, derived from an established Internet panel (CentERdata, University of Tilburg, the Netherlands). Results and Conclusions: Although the majority of the Dutch population seems open to discussions about end-of-life care, our study revealed that discussions with physicians are exceedingly rare. To improve ACP as a joint process among patients, relatives, and physicians, the general public's awareness of the importance of end-of-life discussions with their physicians needs to be increased and physicians need to play a more active role by initiating conversations and dialogue regarding end-of-life care.