Abstract
Advance care planning is a critical part of care management for Asian Pacific Islander family caregivers of patients with Stage 4 to 5 chronic kidney disease. This study described the attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control Asian Pacific Islander caregivers of family members on hemodialysis and their intentions to complete advance care planning and advance healthcare directives based on the theory of planned behavior. This is a descriptive study using four focus group sessions in a dialysis center in Hawaii with a purposive sample of 14 Asian Pacific Islander family caregivers of individuals receiving hemodialysis for Stage 4 to 5 chronic kidney disease. Attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control were the three major constructs with linkages to categories and subcategories. Patient wishes and family decision making appeared to be linked with both patient- and family-centered decision making. Perceived control was linked to the family member's role and communication style. This study will add to the literature by increasing our understanding of how Asian Pacific Islander caregivers of family members on dialysis make end-of-life decisions and will utilize the findings of this study to inform instrument development and culturally sensitive care management strategies based on the theory of planned behavior.