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Palliative care healthcare professionals’ perspective on the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 in Ireland
Date
2024
Abstract
Objectives People receiving end-of-life care often require assistance with decision-making. We aimed to ascertain from the perspective of palliative care healthcare professionals in Ireland, the impact of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 (as amended) in Ireland on their practice for end-of-life care decision-making with patients and family caregivers. Methods A qualitative study comprising focus groups was conducted with 22 healthcare professionals from different healthcare professions. Participants were recruited from a large regional specialist palliative care service in Ireland comprising two hospice sites. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results Participants reported uncertainty about the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 (as amended) and emphasised a need for more public education to avoid misinterpretation of the Act. Participants felt that patients who need assistance with decision-making should be autonomous in decision-making but expressed concerns when patients made decisions about care that participants considered unwise. Participants considered that the Act would be beneficial in situations to support early communication between patients and their family caregivers about patient preferences for care. Conclusions Larger scale multicentre examination of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act among specialist palliative care providers in Ireland is needed to better understand its utility for practice.
Supervisor
Description
Publisher
BMJ Publishing Group
Citation
BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, 2024
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Files
Funding code
Funding Information
Sustainable Development Goals
External Link
Type
Article
Rights
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/