LAUSR

N urses are involved in helping patients and families with advance care planning (ACP). Many educational tools are used to discuss life-saving interventions, but very few are developed specifically for veterans. This article evaluates a new tool, the Honoring Healthcare Choices CPR educational handout, and how it can be used to support veterans in ACP. In 2014, the Veterans Affairs launched the Blueprint for Excellence, a strategic initiative plan to reshape the care provided to veterans. The goal of the document is to ensure that services are “veterancentric” as opposed to “providercentric.” In keeping with this goal, the National Academy of Medicine, formerly called the Institute of Medicine, has been promoting use of advance care planning (ACP)–a process of deciding what treatments patients would or would not want if they become ill or injured and no longer able to make those decisions for themself–to achieve patientcentered and value-based nursing care. Studies geared toward ACP for veterans are lacking, with a specific void noted among veterans residing in rural areas.