-------------------------------------------------------------
Despite fears to the contrary, the use of drugs to end life without
patient request has not increased since euthanasia was legalised in
Belgium, states an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association.)
Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are controversial issues in the
medical world. There are fears that the legalisation of euthanasia will
result in an increase in the use of life-ending drugs without explicit
patient request, especially for vulnerable people such as seniors.
Later, the report says:
Despite the lack of explicit patient request, the use of life-ending drugs
was in most cases discussed with patients' families and health
professional colleagues.
'The use of life-ending drugs without explicit patient request occurs
predominantly in hospital and among elderly patients who are mostly in an
irreversible coma or demented,' write Dr Kenneth Chambaere, Vrije
Universiteit, Brussel, and coauthors. 'This fits the description of
'vulnerable' patient groups at risk of life-ending without request. Due
attention should therefore be paid to protecting these particular patient
groups from such practices. However, these patients are not proportionally
more at risk than other patient groups.'
[There is information in the Notes section below.]
[There are other related stories in the Links section below.]
To read the full article click on one of these links, both of which go to the same destination. A short link is provided for the convenience of readers. Also, readers may search and browse past and future advisories on the web (see bottom.)
Physician-assisted deaths under the euthanasia law in Belgium
[Canadian Medical Association Journal]
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/doi/10.1503/cmaj.091876
From the abstract:
Methods: We mailed a questionnaire regarding the use of life-ending drugs
with or without explicit patient request to physicians who certified a
representative sample (n = 6927) of death certificates of patients who
died in Flanders between June and November 2007.
Results: The response rate was 58.4%. Overall, 208 deaths involving the
use of life-ending drugs were reported: 142 (weighted prevalence 2.0%)
were with an explicit patient request (euthanasia or assisted suicide)
and 66 (weighted prevalence 1.8%) were without an explicit request.
Euthanasia and assisted suicide mostly involved patients less than 80
years of age, those with cancer and those dying at home. Use of
life-ending drugs without an explicit request mostly involved patients 80
years of older, those with a disease other than cancer and those in
hospital. Of the deaths without an explicit request, the decision was not
discussed with the patient in 77.9% of cases. Compared with assisted
deaths with the patient's explicit re quest, those without an explicit
request were more likely to have a shorter length of treatment of the
terminal illness, to have cure as a goal of treatment in the last week,
to have a shorter estimated time by which life was shortened and to
involve the administration of opioids.
The full 7 page document is available as a PDF document from this
page.
The role of nurses in physician-assisted deaths in Belgium
[Canadian Medical Association Journal]
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/doi/10.1503/cmaj.091881
From the abstract:
Background: Belgium's law on euthanasia allows only physicians to perform
the act. We investigated the involvement of nurses in the decision-making
and in the preparation and administration of life-ending drugs with a
patient's explicit request (euthanasia) or without an explicit request.
We also examined factors associated with these deaths.
Methods: In 2007, we surveyed 1678 nurses who, in an earlier survey, had
reported caring for one or more patients who received a potential
life-ending decision within the year before the survey. Eligible nurses
were surveyed about their most recent case.
Results: The response rate was 76%. Overall, 128 nurses reported having
cared for a patient who received euthanasia and 120 for a patient who
received life-ending drugs without his or her explicit request.
Respectively, 64% (75/117) and 69% (81/118) of these nurses were involved
in the physician's decision-making process. More often this entailed an
ex change of information on the patient's condition or the patient's or
relatives' wishes (45% [34/117] and 51% [41/118]) than sharing in the
decision-making (24% [18/117] and 31% [25/118]). The life-ending drugs
were administered by the nurse in 12% of the cases of euthanasia, as
compared with 45% of the cases of assisted death without an explicit re
quest. In both types of assisted death, the nurses acted on the
physician's orders but mostly in the physician's absence. Factors
significantly associated with a nurse administering the life- ending
drugs included being a male nurse working in a hospital (odds ratio [OR]
40.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] 7.37-217.79) and the patient being
over 80 years old (OR 5.57, 95% CI 1.98-15.70).
Interpretation: By administering the life-ending drugs in some of the
cases of euthanasia, and in almost half of the cases without an explicit
request from the patient, the nurses in our study operated beyond the
legal margins of their profession.
The full 6 page document is available from this page in PDF
format.
"Euthanasia and the use of end-of-life drugs without explicit request". Science Centric. 18 May 2010 20:12 GMT. <www.sciencecentric.com/news/article.php?q=10051856-euthanasia-the-use-end-of-life-drugs-without-explicit-request>. Science Centric, 81 Lyuben Karavelov Street, Sofia 1000, Bulgaria
Tags (or keywords) briefly indicate some major topics of the report.
euthanasia
involuntary euthanasia
doctor
nurses
Belgium
Ireland: Exit International to set up Irish group
[sbpost.ie]
http://www.sbpost.ie/news/ireland/euthanasia-body-to-set-up-irish-group-49289.html
Exit International, the controversial
pro-euthanasia organisation, is setting up a
group in Ireland. The first advocacy group of
its kind in Ireland will be headed by Dublin
man Tom Curran.
Curran said the association in Ireland would
be a source of information and support to
people interested in learning more about
euthanasia and assisted suicide. He said
people had a right to access
information.
Curran's partner had multiple sclerosis
and, as her condition had become progressively
worse, he said they had discussed options such
as assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Curran said the group was very much in its infancy, but planned to
hold its first meeting before the end of July. He said he became
involved with Exit International after attending a meeting held by
Dr Philip Nitschke, its founder.
The EuthaNEWSia ID for this advisory is: enid201005199318.
Mailed: Wednesday, May 19, 2010 14:25:58 -0600
at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
EuthaNEWSia is a free Canadian news advisory service covering end-of-life issues such as right to die, assisted suicide, and euthanasia. EuthaNEWSia is produced by the Right to Die Society of Canada which works toward a good death for all, including open, regulated and equitable access to euthanasia and assisted suicide. The editor is Michael Dawson <editor@euthanewsia.ca>.
-------------------------------------------------------------
EuthaNEWSia mailing list
euthanewsia-subscribe@euthanewsia.ca
You may leave the Subject blank and the message empty: the
server only reads the From address on the message.
euthanewsia-unsubscribe@euthanewsia.ca
You may leave the Subject blank and the message empty: the
server only reads the From address on the message.
-------------------------------------------------------------
see the recent headlines on the front page at www.euthanewsia.ca
see as-yet unpublished stories at the Pending Advisories page.
subscribe to the RSS News feed. More information is on the Subscribe page.
search the advisories on the search page.
browse and read past stories on the past stories page.
Problems? Send an email to: editor@euthanewsia.ca