Evaluation of an Advanced Care Planning Training Program Incorporating Online Skills in Shared Decision Making: A Preintervention and Postintervention Comparative Study

Aim: This study evaluated an advanced care planning (ACP) training program incorporating online skills in shared decision making (SDM). Method: The New World Kirkpatrick Model was employed to assess the efficacy of the training program at four levels: reaction, learning, behavior, and results. Reaction measured the participants' satisfaction and difficulty with the training program alongside the status of support received from workplaces engaging in ACP. Learning evaluated the changes in SDM skills. Behavior assessed the changes in the relationship between patients and healthcare professionals when the latter were involved in the SDM process. Results evaluated whether the participants were willing to participate in ACP educational programs as a facilitator and whether their motivation for continuous learning changed through throughout the training program. The relationships among patients, healthcare providers, and third-party roles were analyzed in SDM role-playing via structural equation modeling (SEM). Results: Between September 2020 and June 2022, 145 multidisciplinary participants completed the entirety of the training program. The most common responses to the training were satisfied, slightly difficult, and I received some support from my workplace. The SDM skills significantly improved from the first to the third workshop, evaluated using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. In the first workshop, SDM was primarily performed by healthcare providers; however, in the third workshop, patient-centered SDM was adopted. Of the participants who completed the program, 63% intended to participate in future ACP educational programs as ACP education facilitators. Conclusion: This study ascertained the validity of this training.

Automated summary

This study evaluated an advanced care planning (ACP) training program that incorporated online skills in shared decision making (SDM). The New World Kirkpatrick Model was used to assess the efficacy of the program, which showed that participants were satisfied with the training, experienced some difficulties, and received support from their workplaces. SDM skills significantly improved, and a majority of the participants expressed willingness to become ACP education facilitators in the future.