Benefit, Barrier, and Self-Efficacy Messages in Advance Care Planning Education Materials

Advance care planning patient education materials are informational tools intended to empower patients to engage in preventative behaviors relevant to end-of-life decision-making. Fewer than 30% of patients engage in advance care planning (ACP) and little is known about specific messages relevant to health behavior change in ACP education materials. Using the Health Belief Model as a framework, this study used content analysis to examine both manifest and latent message content in ACP education materials (N = 58), focusing specifically on benefit, barrier, and self-efficacy messages. Results indicated that education materials lack unique, specific benefit, barrier, and self-efficacy messages, which may lower patients' motivation and self-efficacy with regard to ACP. Based on these findings, recommendations for designing ACP education materials in medical organizations are made.