When death is imminent - documenting end-of-life decisions.

Background: There has been widespread promotion of advance care planning in recent years, which is consistent with an ageing population and a greater awareness of patient self determination.

Methods: A review of medical records relating to hospital patient deaths and a separate review of emergency department admissions of patients aged 75 years or more in the same hospital.

Results: In the patient deaths sample, 77% of patients (median age 79 years), had their first documented end-of-life discussion 3 days before death.