A multidisciplinary simulation programme to improve advance care planning skills and engagement across primary and secondary care

Background: In the context of an ageing population, many healthcare professionals have limited experience and confidence in having necessary advance care planning (ACP) conversations.

Methods: We conducted nine half-day simulation sessions, using professional actors. One-hundred and thirty-two participants attended from multidisciplinary backgrounds across primary and secondary care.

Results: Following the course, 90.2% felt confident or very confident initiating conversations, compared with 14.4% beforehand. Understanding of when ACP is appropriate also increased from 70% to 100%. Post-course, 98% of participants stated that they would be more likely to initiate an ACP. Three months later, 86% had a sustained change in practice. All participants said they would recommend this simulation course and multidisciplinary approach.

Conclusion: Multidisciplinary simulation training is an effective way to teach ACP to doctors, nurses and allied healthcare professionals. The simulation was shown to improve participant understanding, confidence and reduce barriers to discussions, both immediately and 3 months later.