Advance care planning (ACP) strengthens self-determination in healthcare, especially in situations of incapacity. Everyone should be able to plan their care in advance if they wish to do so. A national working group co-led by the SAMS and the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) aims to further establish ACP in Switzerland and to embed it in daily practice.
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When engaging in advance care planning (ACP), individuals reflect on their personal values, wishes, expectations and ideas regarding treatment and care in the event of an illness, accident or the need for medical attention. This involves recording one's wishes for third parties in case decision-making capacity is lost. Planning one’s care in advance strengthens self-determination and reassurance regardless of age or health status. It should be accessible and easy to understand for anyone who wishes to engage with it.
In 2020, the Swiss Federal Council mandated the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) and SAMS to establish a permanent national working group on ACP. The background to this decision and the political mandate can be found under History of the national ACP working group.
Roadmap with 12 recommendations
The ACP working group is interprofessional and interdisciplinary in composition (see below) and has been active since 2021. As a first milestone, it published the «Roadmap for the implementation of advance care planning (ACP) in Switzerland» in March 2023. The roadmap formulates 12 recommendations that should help to further expand and anchor the use of ACP in everyday (medical) practice.
The 12 recommendations are being further developed in subprojects and implemented progressively. The ACP working group supports this work in an advisory capacity. The following subprojects have already been completed or are currently in progress:
ACP in retirement and nursing homes
Practical tools from the FOPH: Strengthening patient autonomy in French or German
New content on the following topics will be available soon:
- ACP in psychiatric care
- Promoting ACP as a healthcare professional
SAMS regularly reports on the progress of this work through its bulletin, website and newsletter. Subscribe to our newsletter
Composition of the working group
Professor Miodrag Filipovic, SGI-SSMI, Intensive Care Medicine, President
Professor Monica Escher, palliative.ch, Palliative Care, Vice-President
Franziska Adam, MAS Gerontology, Spitex Switzerland, Outpatient Care
lic. rer. soc. Stefan Berger, H+, Stationary Healthcare
Dr Gabriela Bieri-Brüning, SFGG, Geriatrics and Inpatient Long-term Care
Piero Catani, SAGES, Social Work
Professor Christine Clavien, Delegate Network Romandie, Ethics
Dominique Elmer, Reg. Nurse, LangzeitSchweiz
Professor Dr Steffen Eychmüller, palliative.ch, Palliative Care
Jacline Ferahyan, Pro Senectute Switzerland, Social Counselling
lic. iur. Debora Gianinazzi, Federal Office of Justice, Legal Affairs
Dr Salome von Greyerz, MAE, NDS MiG, FOPH
Samuel Häberli, SRK Switzerland, Social Counselling
Emeritus Professor Paul Hoff, Central Ethics Committee, SAMS, Ethics and Psychiatry
Isabelle Karzig-Roduner, RN, MAE, MScN, ACP-Swiss, Advance Care Planning
Professor Dagmar Keller, SSERM, Emergency Medicine
Dr Philippe Luchsinger, mfe, Family Medicine
lic. rer. soc. Silvia Marti Lavanchy, CDS
Paola Massarotto, MScN, SGI-SSMI, Intensive Care Nursing
Professor Dr Egemen Savaskan, SGAP, Geriatric Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
Dr Reka Schweighoffer, CURAVIVA, Long-Term Care and Residential Homes
Dr Jana Siroka, FMH, Internal Medicine and Intensive Care Medicine
Professor UAS, lic. iur., dipl. SW, Diana Wider, KOKES
lic. theol., dipl. biol. Sibylle Ackermann, SAMS (ex officio)
Dr Manya Hendriks, SAMS (ex officio)
lic. phil. I Flurina Näf, FOPH (ex officio)
Dr Milenko Rakic, FOPH (ex officio)
lic. phil. I Lea von Wartburg, FOPH (ex officio)
More information
- Bulletin de l'ASSM 4/2025, p. 1–4: ProSA: favoriser l’autonomie et l’autodétermination des patients (2025, in French) PDF, 3 MB
- SAMW Bulletin 4/2025, S. 1–4: GVP: Ein Projekt zur Stärkung der Selbstbestimmung (2025, in German) PDF, 3 MB
- EXIT-Info 4/2024: Die Patientenverfügung hilft enorm (2024, in German) PDF, 271 KB
Annual reports of the ACP working group
Related topics
History of the national ACP working group
ACP in retirement or nursing homes
Advance care directives in French or German
Practical tools from the FOPH: Strengthening patient autonomy in French or German
FOPH thematic page on ACP in French or German