Name
#196 Increasing End-of-Life Discussions and Documentation in Life Sustaining Treatment Initiative Notes
Content Presented On Behalf Of:
VHA/VA
Services/Agencies represented
Veterans Health Administration/Veterans Affairs (VHA/VA)
Session Type
Poster
Date
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Start Time
5:00 PM
End Time
7:00 PM
Location
Prince Georges Expo Hall E
Focus Areas/Topics
Clinical Care
Learning Outcomes
1. Following this session, the attendee will be able to initiate a conversation with the veteran to understand the veteran’s end of life.
2. Following this session, the attendee will be able to document the veteran’s choices in the Life Sustaining Treatment.
3. Following this session, the attendee will be able to identify high risk veterans who would benefit by completing a Life Sustaining Treatment Initiative by reviewing CAN scores.
Session Currently Live
Description
In 2017, the National Center for Ethics set up multidisciplinary advisory boards at the local level to enhance the discussion and implementation of End-of-life choices. They also created national templates. Prior to this, locally created code status notes were used. Different service lines documented code status differently. There was limited documentation of communication. Since then, there has been ongoing education and encouragement to complete Life Sustaining Treatment Initiative notes. Initially, there was an increase in notes written (FY19: 228, FY18: 58). This then declined. From July 2024 through September 2025, the GEC providers partnered with PACT -RN to create sustainable strategies to enhance communication with patients regarding End-of-Life decisions. They also created sustainable strategies to enhance communication among the patient care teams. This was accomplished by education in having Goals of Care Conversations and completing life sustaining treatment initiative notes. This was measured by an increase (FY25: 256, FY24: 141) in the number of life sustaining treatment initiative notes by providers across the clinical departments. The number of life sustaining treatment initiative notes increased. More importantly, there was robust discussion regarding the challenges to addressing end of life choices. Medical center staff were better informed regarding the initiative. The next steps include maintaining educational programs regarding the process of having and documenting the conversation. There is also the need to assist staff in feeling confident and comfortable when addressing End-of-Life choices with veterans and their families.