Concept of unbearable suffering in context of ungranted requests for euthanasia: qualitative interviews with patients and physicians

Objective To obtain in-depth information about the views of patients and physicians on suffering in patients who requested euthanasia in whom the request was not granted or granted but not performed

Personal dignity in the terminally ill from the perspective of caregivers : a survey among trained volunteers and physicians

Background: Although dignity is increasingly considered a goal of palliative care, little research has evaluated the understanding of dignity at the end of life from a caregiver's perspective. Objective: The study objective was to investigate and compare the views of trained volunteers and SCEN physicians on maintaining dignity for patients reaching the end of life. Design: The study is a survey questionnaire study. Subjects: Subjects were two groups of caregivers involved in care for dying patients: trained volunteers (n=236) and end-of-life consultants (SCEN physicians; n=427). Measurements: Measurement was done via the Dutch version of the 22-item Patient Dignity Inventory on symptoms and experiences that have been shown to influence the sense of dignity in terminally ill patients. Respondents were asked to rate on a five-point scale the extent to which they considered the items as influential on dignity in terminally ill patients, and as problematic in practice in maintaining dignity for patients in the last phase of life. Results: Overall, volunteers indicated items more frequently as influential to dignity and as problematic in maintaining dignity at the end of life, compared to SCEN physicians. Volunteers gave significantly higher ratings than SCEN physicians to most of the social items, and to half of the psychological and existential items. Conclusions: It seems that SCEN physicians consider the physical aspects of suffering to be most influential and problematic in practice in preserving dignity, while volunteers think psychosocial aspects are most important in preserving dignity at the end of life. These findings suggest that the role and responsibilities of caregivers involved in care for terminally ill patients affect the factors that they think influence dignity

Motivations, aims and communication around advance directives A mixed-methods study into the perspective of their owners and the influence of a current illness

AbstractObjectiveWhat are motivations of owners of an advance directive (AD) to draft an AD, what do they aim for with their AD and do they communicate about their AD?MethodsWritten questionnaires were sent to a cohort of people owning different types of ADs (n=5768). A purposive sample of people suffering from an illness was selected from the cohort for an in-depth interview (n=29).ResultsAbout half of our population had no direct motivation to draft their AD. Most mentioned motivation for the other half was an illness of a family member or friend. Many different and specific aims for drafting an AD were mentioned. An often mentioned more general aim in people with different ADs was to prevent unnecessary lengthening of life or treatment (14–16%). Most respondents communicated about having an AD with close-ones (63–88%) and with their GP (65–79%). In the interviews people gave vivid examples of experiences of what they hoped to prevent at the end of life. Some mentioned difficulties foreseeing the future and gave examples of response shift.ConclusionADs can give directions to caregivers about what people want at the end of life.Practice implicationsADs have to be discussed in detail by their owners and caregivers, since owners often have specific aims with their AD

Current wishes to die; characteristics of middle-aged and older Dutch adults who are ready to give up on life:a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Literature shows that middle-aged and older adults sometimes experience a wish to die. Reasons for these wishes may be complex and involve multiple factors. One important question is to what extent people with a wish to die have medically classifiable conditions. AIM: (1) Estimate the prevalence of a current wish to die among middle-aged and older adults in The Netherlands; (2) explore which factors within domains of vulnerability (physical, cognitive, social and psychological) are associated with a current wish to die; (3) assess how many middle-aged and older adults with a current wish to die do not have a medically classifiable condition and/or an accumulation of age-related health problems. METHODS: Data of 2015/16 from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam were used for this cross-sectional study (1563 Dutch middle-aged and older adults aged between 57 and 99 years), obtained through structured medical interviews and self-reported questionnaires. Three experienced physicians assessed whether the participants with a current wish to die could be classified as having a medically classifiable condition and/or an accumulation of age-related health problems. RESULTS: N = 62 participants (4.0%) had a current wish to die. Having a current wish to die was associated with multiple characteristics across four domains of vulnerability, among which: self-perceived health, problems with memory, self-perceived quality of life and meaningfulness of life. Fifty-four participants with a current wish to die were assessed with having a medically classifiable condition, of which one was also assessed with having an accumulation of age-related health problems. Six people were assessed to have neither, and for two people it was unclear. CONCLUSION: A small minority of middle-aged and older adults in the Netherlands have a current wish to die. Most of them can be classified with a medical condition and one person with an accumulation of age-related health problems. Furthermore, the findings show that having a current wish to die is multi-faceted. There is still a need for more knowledge, such as insight in to what extent suffering stemming from the medical classifiable disease contributes to the development of the wish to die

Is educational attainment related to end-of-life decision-making? A large post-mortem survey in Belgium

BACKGROUND: Educational attainment has been shown to influence access to and quality of health care. However, the influence of educational attainment on decision-making at the end of life with possible or certain life-shortening effect (ELDs ie intensified pain and symptom alleviation, non-treatment decisions, euthanasia/physician-assisted suicide, and life-ending acts without explicit request) is scarcely studied. This paper examines differences between educational groups pertaining to prevalence of ELDs, the decision-making process and end-of-life treatment characteristics. METHOD: We performed a retrospective survey among physicians certifying a large representative sample of Belgian deaths in 2007. Differences between educational groups were adjusted for relevant confounders (age, sex, cause of death and marital status). RESULTS: Intensified pain and symptom alleviation and non-treatment decisions are more likely to occur in higher educated than in lower educated patients. These decisions were less likely to be discussed with either patient or family, or with colleague physicians, in lower educated patients. A positive association between education and prevalence of euthanasia/assisted suicide (acts as well as requests) disappeared when adjusting for cause of death. No differences between educational groups were found in the treatment goal in the last week, but higher educated patients were more likely to receive opioids in the last day of life. CONCLUSION: There are some important differences and possible inequities between educational groups in end-of-life decision-making in Belgium. Future research should investigate whether the found differences reflect differences in knowledge of and adherence to patient preferences, and indicate a discrepancy in quality of the end of life

Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide in People With an Accumulation of Health Problems Related to Old Age:A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study Among Physicians in the Netherlands

Objectives: We explored characteristics of people with an accumulation of health problems related to old age requesting euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide (EAS) and identified characteristics associated with granting EAS requests. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire study among Dutch physicians on characteristics of these people requesting EAS (n = 123). Associations between characteristics and granting a request were assessed using logistic regression analyses. Results: People requesting EAS were predominantly &gt;80 years old (82.4%), female (70.0%), widow/widower (71.7%), (partially) care-dependent (76.7%), and had a life expectancy &gt;12 months (68.6%). The most prevalent health problems were osteoarthritis (70.4%) and impaired vision and hearing (53.0% and 40.9%). The most cited reasons to request EAS were physical deterioration (68.6%) and dependence (61.2%). 44.7% of requests were granted. Granting a request was positively associated with care dependence, disability/immobility, impaired vision, osteoporosis, loss of control, suffering without prospect of improvement and a treatment relationship with the physician &gt;12 months. Conclusion: Enhanced understanding of people with an accumulation of health problems related to old age requesting EAS can contribute to the ongoing debate on the permissibility of EAS in people without life-threatening conditions.</p

Are care staff equipped for end-of-life communication? : a cross-sectional study in long-term care facilities to identify determinants of self-efficacy

Background: End-of-life conversations are rarely initiated by care staff in long-term care facilities. A possible explanation is care staff's lack of self-efficacy in such conversations. Research into the determinants of self-efficacy for nurses and care assistants in end-of-life communication is scarce and self-efficacy might differ between care staff of mental health facilities, nursing homes, and care homes. This study aimed to explore differences between care staff in mental health facilities, nursing homes, and care homes with regard to knowledge about palliative care, time pressure, and self-efficacy in end-of-life communication, as well as aiming to identify determinants of high self-efficacy in end-of-life communication. Methods: Two cross-sectional Dutch studies, one in mental health facilities and one in nursing and care homes (PACE study). Nurses and care assistants were invited to complete a questionnaire in 2015. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify determinants of high self-efficacy. Results: Five hundred forty one nurses and care assistants completed a survey; 137 worked in mental health facilities, 172 in nursing homes, and 232 in care homes. Care staff at mental health facilities were the most knowledgeable about the World Health Organization's definition of palliative care: 76% answered 4-5 out of 5 items correctly compared to 38% of nursing home staff and 40% of care home staff (p 36, female, with formal palliative care training, and knowledge of the palliative care definition. Conclusion: Mental healthcare staff knew more about palliative care and had higher self-efficacy in end-of-life communication compared to nursing and care home staff. Educating care staff about providing palliative care and training them in it might improve end-of-life communication in these facilities