Can Playing an End-of-Life Conversation Game Motivate People to Engage in Advance Care Planning?
Lauren J Van Scoy, Michael J Green, Jean M Reading and 3 others
PMID 27406696WHAT IT FOUND
After playing an end-of-life conversation game, 78% of participants reported completing at least one advance care planning behavior within three months.
This included discussing wishes with loved ones, creating living wills, or naming healthcare proxies.
Key findings
0178% of participants reported completing an advance care planning behavior within three months after playing the game.
02The proportion of participants who discussed end-of-life issues with loved ones increased from 21% before the intervention to 60% afterward.
03Among participants who did not previously have a living will, 21% created one within three months of playing the game.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
There was no control group, so it is impossible to know if the game caused the behavior change or if participants would have engaged in advance care planning anyway. The results rely entirely on self-reported behaviors, which may be influenced by recall bias or a desire to please the researchers. The sample was highly educated and 94% Caucasian, limiting generalizability to more diverse populations. Participants received monetary compensation, which may have motivated them to report positive outcomes or engage in behaviors to justify the stipend.
Declared interests
The game 'My Gift of Grace' is sold by an independent company, Common Practice. The authors note this conflict but do not state that the company funded the study or designed the protocol.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the game caused the increase in advance care planning behaviors. Because there was no control group, the observed changes could be due to natural progression, selection bias, or the Hawthorne effect rather than the intervention itself.