A survey has revealed GPs and nurses have very different views about future health planning. 

As Australia’s population ages, nurses recommend people start actioning Advance Care Planning in their early 40s, 15 years ahead of what GPs suggest and what the public believe is necessary, according to the new study.

The study also indicates that people think their doctors should play more of a role in the decision process, while the doctors believe they should play less.

“Understanding how GPs, nurses and patients perceive, engage, and choose to communicate about Advance Care Planning (ACP) and end-of-life (EOL) decisions is of critical importance for increasing future uptake and efficient future healthcare provision,” says behavioural economist Dr Stephen Whyte.

“ACP allows people to be clear about their desires, wishes and preferences for their future health care needs to family, friends and health professionals.

“Yet, data tells us that only 14 per cent of the Australian population currently has an advance health directive in place.” 

The issue is increasingly important in light of stats that show the number of Australians aged 65 and over jumped from 8.3 per cent of the total population in 1970 to 16 per cent in 2020. The figure is expected to grow to between 21 and 23 per cent by 2066. 

“The benefits are clear. For the individual involved, it can improve the quality of their end-of-life experience and assure their wishes are explicitly met, as well as alleviate stress and anxiety for loved ones,” said Dr Whyte.

“It can also dramatically reduce the psychological, emotional, administrative, and economic burden on healthcare professionals and systems.

“We found one of the main reasons the uptake of ACP is so low is a lack of patient knowledge and even when older people express clear preferences for future EOL care, resulting healthcare communications are often inadequate.

“Some critics argue the current EOL model of shared decision making is flawed because in real life situations, there will always be an extent to which they are incomplete as the advice of medical experts can bias a patient’s choices.

“Also, the ability to make autonomous choices is even more compromised when complex care is required.”

The full study is accessible here.