Health disparities in advance care planning at a safety-net hospital.

125 Background: Advance health care directives (AHCDs) are recommended by ASCO as a strategy to improve compliance with patient wishes at the end-of-life, thereby facilitating appropriate use of health care resources. We already know too few cancer patients complete AHCDs, but we know less about barriers to their completion. This study assessed the frequency with which AHCDs were completed in different ethnic groups and whether hospice enrollment varied by ethnicity. Methods: Retrospective analysis conducted at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, MN with review of the cancer registry data from 2008 to 2013. Data were collected for deceased patients with stage III-IV cancer from the time of diagnosis through death. Demographics, AHCD, hospital deaths, enrollment in hospice, and individual patient data were analyzed using logistic regression, adjusting for both race and language as covariates. Results: From 2008 to 2013, there were 273 patients diagnosed with stage III-IV cancer and followed thro...