The practice of palliative sedation in the Netherlands after the launch of the national guideline

Abstract

Palliative sedation is a medical intervention aimed at relieving intractable suff ering by inducing decreased awareness of symptoms. It is typically considered a palliative option for patients suff ering unbearably in the last days of life. The estimated frequency of palliative sedation varies considerably in scientifi c literature, partly due to diff erences in defi nition and research setting and diff erences in terminology. Whereas in the English medical scientifi c literature the fi rst descriptions of palliative sedation referred to ‘terminal sedation’, in Dutch medical literature palliative sedation was fi rst described as ‘deep sedation in the dying phase’. Although terminology still varies – e.g. continuous deep sedation6, continuous sedation until death, continuous deep sedation until death, continuous sedation at the end of life, palliative sedation at the end of life, palliative sedation therapy, palliative sedation to unconsciousness, terminal sedation, continuous palliative sedation – the most frequently used general term for this treatment in the literature nowadays is palliative sedation