Scheduling conversation
In the conversation with the healthcare professionals about the best moment for the conversation it appears that there is never a right moment to talk about the treatment limitations. “Many people don’t want that [talking about treatment limitations], they don’t want to think about it at all” [Interview 6]. Healthcare professionals indicated that they have to perform the conversations on the emergency room (ER), however they mentioned that this is not a suitable place. Besides this, it is often difficult to have the conversation at this moment due to lack of time “I understand, from the hospital’s perspective, that we have to perform these conversations on the ER. But the ER can be hectic sometimes, it is not a suitable moment” [Interview 5]. Some argue that the best moment is before someone comes to the ER, which could be at an appointment at the clinic or with the general practitioner. But in every situation, you overwhelm patients with these questions. Advance care planningis often mentioned by the healthcare professionals as important, so patients are prepared. “It is important that someone can talk and think about treatment limitations before the acute moment. So ideally, I would say advance care planning, beforehand” [Interview 6].