Increasing African American Advance Directives: Implementing the Five Wishes Education Protocol

Abstract

The completion rate of advance directives by older African Americans remains low. This pilot study evaluated attitudes related to African Americans and advance directives and the effectiveness of the Five Wishes Education Protocol to increase completion rates. The researchers used a descriptive, cross-sectional pilot study and convenience sampling. Three group sessions were conducted over a 2-month period at three senior centers. Twenty-two older African Americans participated. The mean total score on the attitude survey indicated that participants were moderately positive towards advance directives. Following the intervention, the completion rate of the advance directive Five Wishes was 77.35% (n=17), and 54.5% (n=12) of the participants provided copies of the Five Wishes advance directives to their healthcare providers.