Advance Care Planning in Malaysia

BACKGROUND: In Malaysia, advance care planning is still in its infancy. There is no national implementation of Advance Care Planning.

AIMS: To describe the national state of advance care planning development in Malaysia METHODS: Review of relevant advance care planning literature locally and internationally was undertaken.

RESULTS: Positive development in Malaysia includes implementation of advance care planning at institutional level, initiatives to develop educational programmes as well as research activities to understand the attitude and perception of patients on advance care planning. However, there remain challenges, including lack of knowledge and awareness, lack of legislative framework to guide advance care planning implementation and lack of strong initiatives at a national level.

CONCLUSIONS: It is evident that there is much to learn nationally and internationally about ACP before any decision on implementation of ACP is made in Malaysia. ACP is a public health issue and requires concerted effort of all stakeholders, including Government agencies, academic institutions, and non-government organizations to raise public awareness. More research is needed to shape the future direction of ACP development in Malaysia.