Sage Palliative Medicine & Chronic Care

This episode features Isabel Vandenbogaerde (End-of-life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium). What is already known about the topic: Involvement of family carers in advance care planning conversations is crucial for end-of-life decision-making. Family carers are willing to engage in advance care planning conversations, but experience barriers in doing so. Healthcare professionals may play an important role in supporting family carers in these advance care planning conversations. What this paper adds: About half of the family carers have an advance care planning conversation with their relative in the final 3 months of life. Family carers were more likely to engage in advance care planning in case they were 55 of age or younger, had a medical degree (e.g. nurse or doctor), and when specialist palliative care services were involved The majority of family carers received advance care planning conversation support from a healthcare professional by per