End-of-Life Preference Lists as an Advance Care Planning Tool for Japanese People

Abstract

Advance care planning (ACP) is important to determine the wishes of patients before they lose decision-making capacity. However, Japanese people are often reluctant to have end-of-life discussions. This study aims to develop and categorize an end-of-life preference list in the Japanese context to encourage dialog about ACP for healthcare providers and patients. A questionnaire was developed with end-of-life choices prioritized by a sample of Japanese subjects. Data were collected either in person or by mail. The list of Japanese preferences was compiled and categorized into four domains: medical care, life and care, relationships, and values, with 11-12 items in each domain. The highest-ranking items chosen by >70% of participants were in the relationships and values domains. Subjects with two cohabitants tended to be biased toward the “with others” group, focused on spending time with others, whereas those with older age and higher clinical frailty scale scores tended to be biased toward the “how to live” group.