Health Care Transitions (Jan 2023)
Do young adults complete health care proxies before anesthesia?
Abstract
Background: Health care proxy (HCP) completion rates by older adults are relatively low; however, not much is known about proxy completion rates by younger adults. Objectives: This study aimed to identify HCP completion rates amongst 18–21 year old young adults without intellectual disabilities admitted to a pediatric hospital peri-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and determine whether there was an association with any demographic factors. Methods: Retrospective chart review was performed to describe demographic variables, presence of HCP, and relationship to proxy. The relationship between demographic groups and HCP completion was analyzed by chi-square analysis for categorical variables and student t-test for continuous variables. Results: Overall, 31.4 % (128/408) of patients completed an HCP, and younger patients were more likely to have done so. Analysis showed no statistically significant relationship between other demographic variables and HCP completion. A majority of patients identified a parent as their proxy. Conclusion: Less than one third of young adult patients admitted to a children’s hospital perioperative care unit completed a health care proxy. Other than age, there was no statistically significant difference in demographic variables between those who completed and did not complete a health care proxy. Further research is needed to validate these findings in other clinical settings and drive targeted initiatives to increase advance care planning among young adult patients.
