Facilitating Supportive Care Decision-Making for Persons with Dementia: Qualitative Insights from Health Care Professionals.

BACKGROUND: Persons living with dementia (PLWDs) and their care partners (CPs) often face decisions about future supportive care transitions. METHODS: We conducted in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of healthcare professionals (HCPs) experienced in supporting PLWDs and CPs with transitions in care. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and coded using a hybrid deductive-inductive approach. We used thematic analysis to identify key themes regarding factors influencing supportive care decisions and planning and decision-making facilitators used by HCPs. RESULTS: Qualitative analysis of 18 interviews revealed four themes: (1) difficulty thinking about the future; (2) increasing CP burden with disease progression; (3) uncertainty about costs and resources; and (4) the impact of cultural values. HCP strategies to support decision-making included building trust; timely education; and facilitating access to resources. HCP input suggested the importance of an accessible decision tool, sensitive to sociocultural values, and administered by trusted experts. CONCLUSION: We identified themes to inform development of a decision tool to support PLWDs and CPs supportive care transitions. HCPs highlighted the importance of early access to decision-making tools to facilitate dementia care planning and education.