The balancing point: understanding uptake of advance directive forms in a rural Australian community.

Objectives: The study was conducted in Western Australia, focusing on the attitudes of older, rural, non-hospitalised people towards newly legislated advance care planning (ACP) documents. This study explored baseline awareness and perception of advance directive (AD) forms and factors relevant to their utilisation, using the transtheoretical model as a theoretical framework.

Methods: Sixty-two adults were recruited from residential aged care facilities, community care organisations, general practice, an oncology service and a law firm.