Preparing Surrogates for Decision-Making: Development and Pilot Testing of PREPARE For THEIR Care.

Context: Surrogate decision-makers have expressed the need for better preparation around communication and medical decision-making.

Objectives: This mixed-methods feasibility study aimed to assess the feasibility and usability of an online program to prepare surrogates for their role.

Methods: We developed a 2-part program for surrogates called PREPARE For THEIR Care with a diverse group of Community Advisory Board members and caregivers recruited from the National Patient Advocacy Foundation.

Action plans increase advance care planning documentation and engagement among English and Spanish-speaking older adults.

Background: Advance care planning (ACP) has been reconceptualized as a health behavior. Action plans (APs), or patient-directed mini contracts, improve behavior change. However, no prior studies have assessed whether APs can increase ACP documentation and engagement.

Surrogate Decision Makers Need Better Preparation for Their Role: Advice from Experienced Surrogates.

Surrogate decision makers are required to make difficult end-of-life decisions with little preparation. Little is known about what surrogates may need to adequately prepare for their role, and few resources exist to prepare them. To explore experiences and advice from surrogates about how best to prepare for the surrogate role.

Developing eHealth tools for diverse older adults: Lessons learned from the PREPARE for Your Care Program.

Background/objectives: Electronic Health (eHealth) tools offer opportunities for people to access health information online; yet, most tools are not designed to meet the unique needs of diverse older adults, leading to health disparities. Our goal was to provide guidance for the development of eHealth tools for diverse older populations for use in geriatric care models.

Design: Guidance for eHealth tools was compiled from user design resources and eHealth design literature.

Evaluation of a primary-care setting at a veterinary teaching hospital by a student business group: implementing business training within the curriculum.

This article provides an introduction to the use of students' business skills in optimizing teaching opportunities, student learning, and client satisfaction in a primary health care setting at a veterinary teaching hospital. Seven veterinary-student members of the local chapter of the Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA) evaluated the primary-care service at the University of Georgia (UGA) veterinary teaching hospital and assessed six areas of focus: (1) branding and marketing, (2) client experience, (3) staff and staffing, (4) student experience, (5) time management, and (6) standard operating procedures and protocols. For each area of focus, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats were identified.