Imagine facing the end of life without a clear plan. Would you want to be in an intensive care unit or receive aggressive treatments? A large study looked at over 5,600 adults in the U.S. who passed away. These people were part of a national survey that asked families about their care plans before death. The researchers found that having any written documentation changed the picture compared to having no plan at all.
People with some form of advance care planning were less likely to receive life-sustaining treatments. They were also more likely to enroll in hospice care and more likely to pass away at home rather than in a hospital. However, having two documents did not lower the risk of ICU use. The study also noted that the benefits of having two documents were modest compared to having just one.
This research comes from an observational study, meaning it shows associations, not cause and effect. We cannot say for sure that writing a document caused these changes. The findings suggest that talking about wishes and putting them in writing matters for how care is delivered. But the extra value of adding a second document was not huge.
