Table 1.

Approaches to Simple, Efficient Advance Care Planning for All Health Professions

Step	Action to take	Sample phrasings
1	Ask about a surrogate decision maker	“I wanted to take a moment to talk to you about advance care planning. This involves choosing an emergency contact and describing what is most important in your life.”
		“Is there someone you would trust to help make medical decisions for you if there ever came a time you could not speak for yourself?”
		If yes: “That's great. Now is a good time to tell or remind them that you chose them for this role and what is important to you. That way they can be the best advocate for you if needed.”
		If no: “It is OK if you cannot think of someone right now. If someone comes to mind in the future, please let your medical providers know.”
2	Ask about an advance directive	“Have you ever completed an advance directive? This is a legal form that lets you name your medical decision maker and describe your wishes for medical care.” Did your doctor ever fill out a POLST form, a physician's orders about your wishes?”
		If yes: “That's great. Do you remember what you wrote down? Do you still feel the same way? Do you know where this form is?”   “The most important part is to now share the information in this form with your family and friends. Remember to bring the form with you if you need medical care.”
		If no: “This is OK. One place you can start is the website PREPAREforYourCare.org [one example, use local preference] that has simple information and advance directive forms for free. You can fill the form out on your computer, phone, or tablet, or download and print.”
		[Optional due to physical distancing]: “The forms sometimes need extra witnessing or a notary to be legal. For now, it is OK to review it and sign and date it. The most important part is that you discuss it with your family and friends and medical providers.”
3	Document patient's wishes	Learn and use your hospital's standard documenting practices so that advance care planning information can be quickly found by frontline providers when needed.