Content Analysis of the Research Priorities in the Journal of Life Care Planning 2004-2017

The Journal of Life Care Planning (JLCP) is considered the flagship journal for the publication of research related to life care planning. The journal provides a peer-review process that uses expert review to produce the highest quality of review. While the peer-review process encourages shared standards for the field of life care planning, a content analysis of the Journal of Life Care Planning can help identify areas of need in the field of life care planning. A content analysis of published work is a method of reviewing the content of a body of work for the purposes of gleaning information about trends. This analysis was conducted to better understand how trends in publication match the suggested research priorities developed through a process of life care planner consensus at the 2004 Life Care Planning Summit. Outcomes of this analysis suggest that the majority of publications in this journal focus on general research themes indicating: articles which are conceptual in nature; an emphasis on professionalization of the field; and an emphasis on the process of developing life care plans. Opportunities for future research directions are discussed.