Title | End-of-Life Planning Depends on Socio-Economic and Racial Background: Evidence from the US Health and Retirement Study (HRS). |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2021 |
Authors | Orlovic, M, Warraich, H, Wolf, DA, Mossialos, E |
Journal | Journal of Pain and Symptom Management |
Volume | 62 |
Issue | 6 |
Pagination | 1198-1206 |
ISSN Number | 1873-6513 |
Keywords | Advance care planning, end-of-life, End-of-life planning, Living will |
Abstract | CONTEXT: Americans express a strong preference for participating in decisions regarding their medical care, yet they are often unable to participate in decision-making regarding their end-of-life care. OBJECTIVE: To examine determinants of end-of-life planning; including, the effect of an individual's ageing and dying process, health status and socio-economic and racial/ethnic background. METHODS: US observational cohort study, using data from the Health and Retirement Study (1992 - 2014) including 37,494 individuals. Random-effects logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between the presence of a living will and a range of individual time-varying characteristics, including time to death, and several time-invariant characteristics. RESULTS: End-of-life planning depends on several patient characteristics and circumstances, with socio-economic and racial/ethnic background having the largest effects. The probability of having a living will rises sharply late in life, as we would expect, and is further modified by the patient's proximity to death. The dying process, exerts a stronger influence on end-of-life planning than does the aging. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding differences that increase end-of-life planning is important to incentivize patients' participation. Advance planning should be encouraged and accessible to people of all ages as it is inevitable for the provision of patient-centered and cost-effective care. |
DOI | 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2021.05.018 |
Citation Key | 11784 |
PubMed ID | 34062220 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC8628022 |