• Allysha C Maragh-Bass, Yiqing Zhao, Sarina R Isenberg, Mary M Mitchell, and Amy R Knowlton.
• The Lighthouse Studies at Peer Point, Department of Health, Behavior, Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2213 McElderry Street 2nd Floor, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. arobin52@jhu.edu.
• J Urban Health. 2017 Oct 1; 94 (5): 730-745.

AbstractAdvance care planning (ACP) is the process of planning for when individuals are unable to make their own healthcare decisions. Research suggests ACP is understudied among HIV-positive African Americans. We explored ACP knowledge, preferences, and practices with HIV-positive African Americans from an urban HIV-specialty clinic (AFFIRM study). Participants completed surveys and interviews. Descriptive analyses and Poisson regression were conducted on survey data. Qualitative interviews were coded using grounded theory/constant comparative method. Participants were mostly male (55.1%). Half rated their current pain as at least six out of ten (50.8%). Two-thirds had discussed ACP with providers or supporters (66.2%). Qualitative themes were: (1) impact of managing pain on quality of life and healthcare, (2) knowledge/preferences for ACP, and (3) sources of HIV supportive care and coping (N = 39). Correlates of having discussed ACP included: moderate pain intensity (p < 0.10), including supporters in health decisions (p < 0.001), religious attendance (p < 0.05), and knowledge of healthcare mandates (p < 0.01; N = 276). Findings highlight the need for patient education to document healthcare preferences and communication skills development to promote inclusion of caregivers in decision-making.

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