Together, we can
make a difference.
ACP Decisions is a non-profit foundation with a mission to empower patients to make informed medical decisions by engaging in shared decision making with their healthcare providers.
For
Patients
Get access to our content that will help you make informed medical decisions that best align with your wishes.
For
Clinicians
Efficiently provide advanced care planning services and improve the quality of end-of-life care with our content.
For
Administrators
Create patient-centered ecosystems of care through the use of our evidence-based video decision tools.
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Patient Resources
The Conversation

English, Spanish
What is Palliative Care?

English, Spanish, Chinese, German, Russian
Talking to Your Doctor

English, Spanish, Chinese, German, Russian
POLST

English, Spanish
Patient Checklist

English, Spanish, Chinese, German, Russian, Arabic, Persian, Korean, Vietnamese

Everyone knows that adults learn best not only through language but also through nonverbal communication: things like the tone of voice, visual images, facial expression, and contextual factors such as trust, a sense of reassurance, and use of plain, clear language. Though we know these things, this knowledge is seldom put to work in helping persons with serious illness and their families to make some of the most medical important decisions they will ever face. Angelo’s use of video breaks through into the often silent world of doctors and patients by using clear, simple, plain language, images of people in similar situations, and a calm, kind context for the information. Clinicians looking to support truly informed decision making for their patients and their families need go no further.

We have had nothing but good experiences with the videos. They help make the discussion about choices for care easier, and they help make these discussions more patient-centered. They make the discussion less about the illness and more about the patients. The videos don’t replace discussions about decisions, they tee up and facilitate these discussions. The videos are part of our larger effort to ensure patients have the information they need to be active in shared decision-making, and to help physicians understand patients’ values and preferences so they can arrive at the right decision together.

Working with a highly vulnerable population, we identified a need to improve shared decision making for our patients with lower health literacy. Using ACP Decisions’ video decision tools has enabled us to standardize the advance care planning process and be effective in all populations, regardless of education status or other factors. ACP Decisions has been exceptionally responsive to our work and operational needs and an invaluable partner in helping us work through the complexities of serious illness conversations, scale issues, and technology platform implementation.

We use the ACP Decisions video library in several outpatient and inpatient settings at Presbyterian and have found the quality of the language, voice and images to be highly supportive of our patients and families. The videos are brave and honest, offering our patients the truth they are seeking in a caring manner during a time of critical medical decision-making. The videos are offered in many languages, with a focus on culturally based, respectful translation which enhances the value for our patient population.
Throughout the development and implementation of our advance care planning projects, The ACP Decisions team has been tremendously supportive and responsive while providing a wide range of expertise from engagement to recent research to operational details.
Our Timeline
2019
ACP Decisions partners with Aetna Inc., to have their case managers leverage ACP Decisions’ videos when talking to members and caregivers about care options.

2013
CPR video study released in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. ACP Tools released for iOS. Boston Globe and The Atlantic highlights ACP Decisions work.

2018
ACP Decisions releases Version 2.0 of My ACP Decisions platform. Multiple videos released in English and Spanish, including content in the Caregivers Academy video library. Video declaration study released in the Journal of Palliative Medicine.

2017
20+ videos in English, Spanish, and Mandarin released. ACP Tools 2.0 for iOS and Android released. Caregivers Academy video library created.

2016
Hawaii implementation study released in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. Goals of Care video study released in Circulation. 20+ videos in English, Arabic, and Navajo released.

2015
ACP Decisions releases the My ACP Decisions platform and the ACP Tools iOS app. ACP Decisions’ work is highlighted by the New York Times, The Boston Globe, CNBC, NPR, the Wall Street Journal and Modern Healthcare.

2014
ACP Decisions launches the My ACP Decisions platform. Washington Post features ACP Decisions’ work. ACP Decisions releases 10+ videos in English and Spanish.

2012
Goals of Care video studies released in Cancer and in the Journal of Palliative Medicine. CPR video studies released in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and the Journal of Palliative Medicine.

2011
ACP Decisions featured by CBS News. Goals of Care video studies released in the Journal of Palliative Medicine. CPR video studies released in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and the Journal of Palliative Medicine.

2010
ACP Decisions is formed. Goals of Care video studies are released in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and Patient Education & Counseling.
