Advance care planning among African American patients on haemodialysis and their end‐of‐life care preferences

BACKGROUND African Americans in the general population have been shown to be less likely than White ethnic groups to participate in advance care planning; however, advance care planning in the population receiving dialysis has not been well explored. OBJECTIVE We examined the prevalence of African American patients receiving haemodialysis' advance care planning discussions, and whether advance care planning impacts end-of-life care preferences. DESIGN In-person interviewer-administered surveys of African American patients receiving in-centre haemodialysis. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS About 101 participants at three large dialysis organisation units in Chicago. OUTCOMES Self-reported advance care planning and preferences for life-extending treatments at end-of-life. RESULTS Most patients (69%) report no advance care planning discussions with their healthcare providers. Nearly all patients (92%) without prior advance care planning reported their healthcare providers approached them about advance care planning. While the majority of patients indicated preference for aggressive life-extending care, prior conversations about end-of-life care wishes either with family members or a healthcare provider significantly decreased patients' likelihood of choosing aggressive life-extending care across three scenarios (all p