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AI tools may help older US adults get more timely end-of-life care planning

Study title: Artificial Intelligence in Advance Care Planning for Older Adults in the United States: A Scoping Review

A scoping review searched three research databases for US studies published between January 2018 and August 2025 on AI in advance care planning for older adults. Of 45 studies screened, ten met the inclusion criteria, covering predictive risk models, language-processing and generative AI tools, and one ambient or wearable system.

Read the study abstract

Purpose To explore how artificial intelligence (AI) tools support advance care planning (ACP) for older adults by enabling opportunities for timely ACP conversations and improving visibility and retrievability of ACP documentation. Method Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, we searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for peer-reviewed studies published between January 2018 and August 2025, applying inclusion criteria focuse…

By the Truvace desk1 min read1 sourceEvidence: Emerging · 22/100 — Commentary, opinion, or narrative review · n = 10 · 1 independent sourcePeer-reviewedTRV-2026-2279· cite & verify
Artificial Intelligence in Advance Care Planning for Older Adults in the United States: A Scoping Review
US Navy 060608-N-3714J-085 Navy Lt. Tara Collins, of Le Grange, Ky., gives a group of nursing students from the Jolo Norte Dame Nursing School a tour of the U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC) Hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) by U.S. Navy photo. Public domain

In brief

The findings suggest AI could help prompt conversations about care wishes earlier and make completed documents easier to find. The authors stress that equitable, transparent implementation remains essential, and a scoping review maps the literature rather than proving that the tools improve care.

Main points

  1. Ten of 45 screened studies met the inclusion criteria.
  2. Five studies used predictive risk models.
  3. Four studies used natural language processing or generative AI.
  4. One study examined an ambient or wearable system.
  5. Reported outcomes included more ACP documentation and more goals of care discussions.

The gain

Across the ten studies reviewed, AI tools were associated with increased advance care planning documentation and higher rates of goals of care discussions for older adults.

The rundown

The review followed the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews and searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. It restricted inclusion to peer-reviewed studies on AI, advance care planning, and US older adult populations.

The aim was to examine how AI tools create opportunities for timely advance care planning conversations and improve the visibility and retrievability of ACP documentation in records.

The authors conclude that AI may increase the timing and documentation of ACP, while emphasizing that implementation must be equitable and transparent to be appropriate.

Sources

  1. Peer-reviewedJournal of Gerontological Nursing2026-10-26

The debate