Digital Advance Care Planning in Yorkshire Cancer Care: Coverage, Timing, and Equity

Digital advance care planning records are structured electronic care planning templates within clinical record systems that capture a person's preferences, priorities, and clinical recommendations for future care, and enable this information to be shared across services involved in palliative care and end-of-life care. Despite increasing use, we lack specific evidence on who is receiving an advance care planning record, when planning happens, and whether coverage differs for groups typically under-represented in research and care innovation. The student will undertake a short, applied evaluation using a de-identified dataset relating to digital advance care planning for people living with advanced cancer in Leeds. Working with the supervisor, you will define an analysis cohort and key outcomes, produce descriptive summaries and visualisations of coverage and timing, and explore variation by available demographic and socioeconomic indicators. Analysis will use accessible tools (R or Excel, with training provided), with emphasis on reproducibility and clear communication. Expected outputs will include headline findings and practical recommendations to be presented at Leeds Palliative Care Network meetings at St Gemma’s Hospice in Leeds. Students will need to find their own accommodation and be expected to present their findings orally at a research day in York on 08th September 2026.