COAST Form

In the past decade, the New Zealand Ministry of Health, the District Health Boards, and community health care providers have been developing and promoting advance care planning. Advance care planning, or ACP, is important for all patients, as it provides individuals with the opportunity to think about and express treatment preferences based on personal beliefs and values, current and anticipated medical conditions and care needs, and available treatment and care options.

Currently in New Zealand, there are many different ACP documents and forms being used, and there is no one document that is recognised, easily accessed, and honoured across all care settings. Also, not all patients have an ACP or are able to do an ACP.