Abstract

The aim of this study is to gain a consensus among policy makers, healthcare professionals, people with dementia and family members about how best to discuss advance care planning (ACP) with people with dementia. This is being done through the use of the ‘Delphi method’. This involves rounds of questionnaires aiming to reach a consensus among participants. This is done by feeding back responses from the previous round and giving participants the opportunity to change their responses in light of group views and opinions. This is being done in order to create guidelines which have been produced with equal input from all parties who they will affect. This of particular importance as people with dementia often become marginalised in discussions of their future care. The ‘Delphi method’ has been extensively used within education and nursing to shape policy but has not as yet been used to investigate or help form policy in the area of ACP.

We are presenting the results from the first round of this study which will demonstrate (1) current agreement/disagreement surrounding dementia and ACP, (2) current opinions about the relationship between disclosure of a dementia diagnosis and ACP, and (3) How the ‘Delphi method’ can be used in the construction of policy which takes equal account of the opinions of all groups involved.