Euthanasia and other medical decisions concerning the end of life

Euthanasia and other end-of-life decisions in the Netherlands in 1990, 1995, and 2001.

Empirical data on the rate of euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, and other end-of-life decisions have greatly contributed to the debate about the role of such practices in modern health care. In the Netherlands, the continuing debate about whether and when physician-assisted dying is acceptable seems to be resulting in a gradual stabilisation of end-of-life practices. We replicated intervi...

Medical opinion concerning euthanasia.

Euthanasia and other end-of-life decisions: a mortality follow-back study in Belgium

BACKGROUND This study compares prevalence and types of medical end-of-life decisions between the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking communities of Belgium. This is the first nationwide study that can make these comparisons and the first measurement after implementation of the euthanasia law (2002). METHODS We performed a mortality follow-back study in 2005-2006. Data were collected via the na...

Confusion between euthanasia and other end-of-life decisions: influences on public opinion poll results.

BACKGROUND Public opinion polls indicate that a majority of Canadians are in favour of euthanasia. However, there have been many criticisms of the validity of these findings. The objective of this study was to assess public opinion towards euthanasia while controlling for possible threats to validity indicated in the literature review. METHODS A telephone public opinion poll was conducted in ...

Medical decisions concerning the end of life: a discussion with Japanese physicians.

OBJECTIVES Life-sustaining treatment at the end of life gives rise to many ethical problems in Japan. Recent surveys of Japanese physicians suggested that they tend to treat terminally ill patients aggressively. We studied why Japanese physicians were reluctant to withhold or withdraw life-support from terminally ill patients and what affected their decisions. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS A qualit...