Advance Care Planning Among People from Ethnic Minority and Non-Ethnic Minority Backgrounds with Poor-Prognosis Cancers: A Single-Site Retrospective Medical Record Review Study.
9 affiliations
- 1Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2019, Australia.
- 2Sacred Heart Health Service, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia.
- 3IMPACCT-Improving Palliative, Aged and Chronic Care Through Clinical Research and Translation, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.
- 4St Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia.
- 5Faculty of Medicine, University of Notre Dame Australia, Darlinghurst Campus, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia.
- 6Behavioural Sciences Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, UNSW Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia.
- 7Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2031, Australia.
- 8Sydney Youth Cancer Service, Nelune Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2031, Australia.
- 9Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, Sydney, NSW 2170, Australia.
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Studies indicate inequity in uptake of advance care planning (ACP) for some groups of people from ethnic minority backgrounds. There is limited evidence of disparity in the uptake of ACP among people from ethnic minority and non-ethnic minority backgrounds experiencing cancer in Australia. This exploratory study aimed to fill this gap. Methods: A single-site retrospective medical record review study was conducted. Random sampling was employed to extract data from eligible medical records of patients from ethnic minority and non-ethnic minority backgrounds with a poor-prognosis cancer diagnosis. Results: A total of 102 records were reviewed: 52 patients from ethnic minority backgrounds and 50 from the general population. Any ACP communication was documented in 77 medical records, with no statistically significant difference between groups (χ² = 0.12, p = 0.732). A total of 326 ACP communications were documented. ACP communication rates were lower among patients from ethnic minority backgrounds, across total, formal, and informal communications, although none of the differences were statistically significant. Most ACP communications occurred in the palliative care setting (193/326); only six instances of ACP were about religious or cultural preferences for care. More patients from ethnic minority backgrounds died in acute care hospitals (12/16) when compared to the general population cohort (4/16), with discordance observed between preferred and actual place of death. Conclusions: This descriptive exploratory study found that most patient records reviewed contained at least one documented ACP communication. Whilst the rate of ACP was lower among people from ethnic minority backgrounds when compared to those from the general population, this difference was not statistically significant. Informal ACP communication was documented less frequently compared to formal ACP. Co-designed training and resources may assist cancer care clinicians in initiating timely and culturally appropriate ACP communication. Early referral to palliative care is recommended.
Related
- Proactive Opportunities for Advance Care Planning (PRO-ACP): improving advance care planning completion among hospitalised internal medicine patients with life-limiting illness.
- Factors influencing childhood vaccine hesitancy and interventions for parents and caregivers from ethnic minority backgrounds in the United Kingdom to encourage uptake: a systematic review
- Vignette-based approaches in advance care planning: a scoping review
- Impact of Structured Advance Care Planning Conversations on Clinical Outcomes in High Risk Hospitalized Patients
- Health literacy and advance care planning among adults in New York City
BibTeX
@article{chauhan2026advance,
title = {{Advance Care Planning Among People from Ethnic Minority and Non-Ethnic Minority Backgrounds with Poor-Prognosis Cancers: A Single-Site Retrospective Medical Record Review Study.}},
author = {Ashfaq Chauhan and Ramya Walsan and Davinia Seah and Frances Bellemore and Ursula M Sansom-Daly and Reema Harrison},
journal = {Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/healthcare14193235},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42881674},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Advance Care Planning Among People from Ethnic Minority and Non-Ethnic Minority Backgrounds with Poor-Prognosis Cancers: A Single-Site Retrospective Medical Record Review Study.
AU - Ashfaq Chauhan
AU - Ramya Walsan
AU - Davinia Seah
AU - Frances Bellemore
AU - Ursula M Sansom-Daly
AU - Reema Harrison
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3390/healthcare14193235
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42881674
AB - Background/Objectives: Studies indicate inequity in uptake of advance care planning (ACP) for some groups of people from ethnic minority backgrounds. There is limited evidence of disparity in the uptake of ACP among people from ethnic minority and non-ethnic minority backgrounds experiencing cancer in Australia. This exploratory study aimed to fill this gap. Methods: A single-site retrospective medical record review study was conducted. Random sampling was employed to extract data from eligible medical records of patients from ethnic minority and non-ethnic minority backgrounds with a poor-prognosis cancer diagnosis. Results: A total of 102 records were reviewed: 52 patients from ethnic minority backgrounds and 50 from the general population. Any ACP communication was documented in 77 medical records, with no statistically significant difference between groups (χ² = 0.12, p = 0.732). A total of 326 ACP communications were documented. ACP communication rates were lower among patients from ethnic minority backgrounds, across total, formal, and informal communications, although none of the differences were statistically significant. Most ACP communications occurred in the palliative care setting (193/326); only six instances of ACP were about religious or cultural preferences for care. More patients from ethnic minority backgrounds died in acute care hospitals (12/16) when compared to the general population cohort (4/16), with discordance observed between preferred and actual place of death. Conclusions: This descriptive exploratory study found that most patient records reviewed contained at least one documented ACP communication. Whilst the rate of ACP was lower among people from ethnic minority backgrounds when compared to those from the general population, this difference was not statistically significant. Informal ACP communication was documented less frequently compared to formal ACP. Co-designed training and resources may assist cancer care clinicians in initiating timely and culturally appropriate ACP communication. Early referral to palliative care is recommended.
SN - 2227-9032
ER -