Expanding the Catalog of Patient and Caregiver Out-of-Pocket Costs: A Systematic Literature Review.

Out-of-pocket (OOP) health care expenditures in the United States have increased significantly in the past 5 decades. Most research on OOP costs focuses on expenditures related to insurance and cost-sharing payments or on costs related to specific conditions or settings, and does not capture the full picture of the financial burden on patients and unpaid caregivers. The aim for this systematic literature review was to identify and categorize the multitude of OOP costs to patients and unpaid caregivers, aid in the development of a more comprehensive catalog of OOP costs, and highlight potential gaps in the literature.

Respecting Choices and Related Models of Advance Care Planning: A Systematic Review of Published Evidence.

All individuals should receive care consistent with their expressed preferences during serious and chronic illnesses. Respecting Choices (RC) is a well-known model of advance care planning intended to assist individuals consider, choose, and communicate these preferences to health-care providers. In this systematic review, we evaluated the published literature on the outcomes of the RC and derivative models utilizing criteria developed by the Cochrane Collaborative.

Achieving a High-Quality Cancer Care Delivery System for Older Adults: Innovative Models of Care.

Objectives: To examine innovative models and other research-based interventions that hold potential to assure high-quality care for the growing older adult population living with cancer as one of multiple chronic conditions. Evidence from these care delivery approaches provides a roadmap for the development of future care models.

Data Sources: Published peer-reviewed literature, policy analyses, and web-based resources.

End-of-Life Decision Making and Communication of Bereaved Family Members of African Americans with Serious Illness.

Objective: The study objective was to examine factors that influence African American (AA) family members' end-of-life care decision outcomes for a relative who recently died from serious illness.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study design was used. Binary logistic and linear regressions were used to identify factors associated with decision regret and decisional conflict.

Use of the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment program for patients being discharged from the hospital to the nursing facility.

Background: The Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) documents patient preferences as medical orders that transfer across settings with patients.

Objectives: The objectives were to pilot test methods and gather preliminary data about POLST including (1) use at time of hospital discharge, (2) transfers across settings, and (3) consistency with prior decisions.

Study Design: Descriptive with chart abstraction and interviews.

Computer-delivered tailored intervention improves colon cancer screening knowledge and health beliefs of African-Americans.

We conducted a randomized controlled trial among African-American patients attending a primary-care provider visit to compare efficacy of a computer-delivered tailored intervention to increase colorectal cancer (CRC) screening (n = 273) with non-tailored print material-an American Cancer Society brochure on CRC screening (n = 283). Health Belief Model constructs were used to develop tailored messages and examined as outcomes. Analysis of covariance models were used to compare changes between CRC knowledge and health belief scores at baseline and 1 week post-intervention.