Requests for euthanasia in general practice.

Requests for euthanasia in general practice.

Requests for euthanasia in general practice before and after implementation of the Dutch Euthanasia Act.

BACKGROUND The Netherlands was the first country in the world to implement a Euthanasia Act in 2002. It is unknown whether legalizing euthanasia under strict conditions influences the number and nature of euthanasia requests. AIM To investigate changes in the number of, and reasons for, requests for euthanasia in Dutch general practice after implementation of the Euthanasia Act. DESIGN OF S...

Facing requests for euthanasia: a clinical practice guideline.

On 23 September 2002, the Belgian law on euthanasia came into force. This makes Belgium the second country in the world (after the Netherlands) to have an Act on euthanasia. Even though there is currently legal regulation of euthanasia in Belgium, very little is known about how this legal regulation could be translated into care for patients who request euthanasia.

Twenty five years of requests for euthanasia and physician assisted suicide in Dutch general practice: trend analysis.

Concerns have been expressed that the Dutch policy on euthanasia (E) and physician assisted suicide (PAS) may lead to an exponential increase in the number of requests and use. Many Dutch general practitioners, nursing home physicians, and pharmacists have a fairly positive attitude and have become more tolerant over the years. We investigated the effect of increasing acceptance on the number o...

The unfeasibility of requests for euthanasia in advance directives.

In April 2002 a new law regarding euthanasia came into effect in The Netherlands. This law holds that euthanasia remains a criminal offence unless it is (1) performed by a physician who (2) acts according to six specified rules of due care and (3) reports the case to a review committee. The six rules of due care are similar to those of the previous regulation and are largely based on jurisprude...