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A palliative approach to care focuses on what matters most to patients with life-limiting illness, including chronic kidney disease (CKD). Despite recent publication of related clinical practice guidelines in nephrology, there is limited information about how to practically implement these recommendations. In this Perspective, we describe our experience integrating a palliative approach within routine care of patients with CKD glomerular filtration rate categories 4 and 5 (G4-G5) across a provincial kidney care network during the past 15 years. The effort was led by a multidisciplinary group, tasked with building capacity and developing tools and resources for practical integration within a provincial network structure. We used an evidence-based framework that includes recommendations for 4 pillars of palliative care to guide our work: (1) patient identification, (2) advance care planning, (3) symptom assessment and management, and (4) caring of the dying patient and bereavement. Activities within each pillar have been iteratively implemented across all kidney care programs using existing committees and organizational structures. Key quality indicators were used to guide strategic planning and improvement. We supported culture change through the use of multiple strategies simultaneously. Altogether, we established and integrated palliative care activities into routine CKD G4-G5 care across the continuum from nondialysis to dialysis populations.

IMPORTANCE Advance care planning can improve patient-centered care and potentially reduce intensification of care at the end of life. OBJECTIVES To inquire about patients' advance care planning activities before hospitalization and preferences for care from the perspectives of patients and family members, as well as to measure real-time concordance between expressed preferences for care and documentation of those preferences in the medical record. DESIGN Prospective study. SETTING Twelve acute care hospitals in Canada. PARTICIPANTS Elderly patients who were at high risk of dying in the next 6 months and their family members. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Responses to an in-person administered questionnaire and concordance of expressed preferences and orders of care documented in the medical record. RESULTS Of 513 patients and 366 family members approached, 278 patients (54.2%) and 225 family members (61.5%) consented to participate. The mean ages of patients and family members were 80.0 and 60.8 years, respectively. Before hospitalization, most patients (76.3%) had thought about end-of-life (EOL) care, and only 11.9% preferred life-prolonging care; 47.9% of patients had completed an advance care plan, and 73.3% had formally named a surrogate decision maker for health care. Of patients who had discussed their wishes, only 30.3% had done so with the family physician and 55.3% with any member of the health care team. Agreement between patients' expressed preferences for EOL care and documentation in the medical record was 30.2%. Family members' perspectives were similar to those of patients. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Many elderly patients at high risk of dying and their family members have expressed preferences for medical treatments at the EOL. However, communication with health care professionals and documentation of these preferences remains inadequate. Efforts to reduce this significant medical error of omission are warranted.

Dying at home is a goal promoted by many healthcare providers and governments as a way to enhance the dying experience for cancer patients and their family members. A key element to realizing this goal is the availability of a family member who is willing to provide care at home. Little research has been conducted on the factors that influence family caregivers' ability to cope with providing end-of-life cancer care at home. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe factors influencing family caregivers' ability to cope with providing such care. An interpretive descriptive research design guided this study. Semistructured interviews with 29 active family caregivers were conducted and thematically analyzed. Our findings suggest 5 factors that influenced the caregivers' ability to cope (1) the caregiver's approach to life, (2) the patient's illness experience, (3) the patient's recognition of the caregivers' contribution to his or her care, (4) the quality of the relationship between the caregiver and the dying person, and (5) the caregiver's sense of security. Findings provide important information to assist in informing health services and policies directed at enhancing family caregivers' coping abilities.

The ethics of honouring an individual's wishes for health care are clear and unequivocal in health care literature and policy. Yet health care providers are often unsure how to proceed, both in initiating an advance care planning conversation and in respecting an advance directive once a person is no longer capable of communicating. While advance directives are supported under the Canadian common law, provincial legislation differs across the country, and can create barriers to effective advance care planning.