Our new study has found that organisational sector type was the strongest predictor of advance care directive (ACD) prevalence, with significantly higher rates in residential aged care facilities (RACF) than in hospitals or GP clinics.
Of particular interest, the study found that RACFs in regional and remote or rural areas had higher prevalence rates than their metro counterparts.
Across all sectors, organisations that were either supported by government funding or were Not for Profit, had a higher prevalence than privately-funded organisations.
The findings suggest that organisations with an established advance care planning program of at least three years had higher prevalence than those with either no program or a more recent program.
The study found the prevalence of ACDs for older Australians across sectors as follows:
- 28.7 % prevalence in RACFs
- 6.4% prevalence in hospitals
- 2.5% prevalence in GP clinics
These findings have important implications for sector-wide system improvement. We hope these will play a role in informing health and aged care reform and improve uptake of ACDs in older Australians.