Explore PREPARE’s Proven Results

PREPARE’s advance care planning programs are based on over two decades of research by Dr. Rebecca Sudore at the University of California, San Francisco. In randomized trials, PREPARE has proven to empower patients and caregivers, decrease health disparities in advance care planning, prime patients for clinical visits, and help people get the medical care that is right for them.

Results proving PREPARE’s effectiveness from randomized trials with over 1400 English- and Spanish-speaking older adults:

• PREPARE helped 98% of participants engage in advance care planning (such as having a conversation, designating a surrogate, or completing an advance directive) and increased advance care planning documentation in the medical record from 8% to 43% over a 1-year period.

• The PREPARE website plus an easy-to-read advance directive increased self-reported goal concordant care from 33% (advance directive alone) to 59% and mitigated disparities among patients with limited health literacy and Spanish speakers. Patients who discussed and documented their preferences in a PREPARE advance directive were more likely to report goal concordant care.

• In these trials, close to 400 primary care visits were audio-recorded. PREPARE for YOUR Care resulted in 41% greater patient empowerment and 51% greater clinician responsiveness. Patients were also more likely to bring their own PREPARE advance directives to clinical care teams and initiate advance care planning conversations.

• In an earlier randomized trial, the PREPARE advance directives were rated as easier to use and more useful than a standard advance directive, especially by participants with limited literacy. After six months, the advance directive completion rate was more than double among participants randomized to the PREPARE version.