Advance care planning during the course of serious respiratory illness

Continuum of advance care planning integration in serious respiratory illness. The continuum of ACP in serious respiratory illness is a longitudinal process of communication that begins soon after illness diagnosis and increases in intensity on the basis of patient illness trajectory. This process should be free of coercion, and clinicians should be alert to signs of patient distress or discomfort. Patient-designated surrogates or healthcare proxies should be included across all stages with patient permission.