The perspectives of family caregivers of people with Alzheimer´s disease regarding advance care planning in China: a qualitative research

Abstract

Objectives Advance care planning (ACP) enables people to define goals and preferences for future medical treatment and care. Despite universal recognition of the importance of ACP for people with Alzheimer´s disease (AD) internationally, there is little support for its implementation in China. The viewpoint of family caregivers is crucial in making clinical decisions about AD. Therefore, it’s critical to understand the family caregivers’ perspectives on ACP in order to promote its practice among people with AD in China. Methods Seventeen family caregivers of people with AD were purposively selected in three communities in Guangzhou. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data and the data were analyzed using the thematic analysis. Results Three main themes were extracted: ①Attitudes toward ACP including positive and negative attitudes; ②Social pressure influencing ACP decision; ③Behavioral willingness of the implementation of ACP. Conclusions Attitudes, social pressure, and behavioral willingness characterized the behavioral intentions of family caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease. It is recommended to strengthen efforts to publicity of advance care planning and promote legislation in China.