[III-JCKAP8-3] Advance Care Planning for End of Life in Adult Congenital Heart Disease
As a result of advances in the diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart disease (CHD), it is now adult care providers in addition to pediatric providers, who are faced with the majority of patients’ deaths. Health professionals caring for patients with ACHD should explore preferences of their patients for End-of-Life (EOL) discussions earlier in the disease course, and not only with patients facing life-threatening complications and/or with most of the complex conditions. When EOL discussions occur, ACHD special health care providers should challenge to ensure that patients better understand these conversations. Effective advance care planning and EOL care require open communication and collaboration in order to benefit patients, family members, and clinicians. Increased attention to EOL issues would better be proposed in order to improve the care of patients with ACHD across the lifespan.