This study examines the reasons of people with dementia request euthanasia and how these reasons change over time with a special focus on reasons related to family. In addition, it examines how family relates to their loved one’s euthanasia wish. Seven people with dementia and a euthanasia wish in the Netherlands were interviewed, and three years later, two of them and five family members were interviewed again. Four themes were identified using thematic analyses: (1) Protecting the relationship from the impact of dementia; (2) Private domain as the primary setting to discuss euthanasia; (3) Implicit expectation to respect and agree with the euthanasia wish; (4) Experienced responsibilities of family regarding the euthanasia wish. Professionals should be aware of the position of family and the interrelatedness of the person’s concern for family happiness and families’ moral commitment to agree and support the wish.
Artikel in Cliëntveiligheid: Bij euthanasie of hulp bij zelfdoding faciliteert een arts een patiënt bij het uitvoeren van een zelfgekozen dood. Tegelijk willen we in de GGZ suïcidale patiënten beschermen voor een zelfgekozen dood. Suïcidaal gedrag komt veel voor en is een complex probleem. In Nederland hebben naar schatting jaarlijks 410.000 mensen gedachten over suïcide. 94.000 mensen doen een suïcidepoging.1 In 2020 werden 88 patiënten geëuthanaseerd op basis van een psychiatrische aandoening. 2 Wat zijn globaal de verschillen en overeenkomsten tussen suïcidaal gedrag en het uiten van een wens tot euthanasie? Dit artikel spitst zich bij het beantwoorden van deze vragen toe op patiënten in de GGZ die om euthanasie vragen, of zich suïcidaal uiten
BackgroundSpecialist palliative care teams are consulted during hospital admission for advice on complex palliative care. These consultations need to be timely to prevent symptom burden and maintain quality of life. Insight into specialist palliative care teams may help improve the outcomes of palliative care.MethodsIn this retrospective observational study, we analyzed qualitative and quantitative data of palliative care consultations in a six-month period (2017 or 2018) in four general hospitals in the northwestern part of the Netherlands. Data were obtained from electronic medical records.ResultsWe extracted data from 336 consultations. The most common diagnoses were cancer (54.8%) and organ failure (26.8%). The estimated life expectancy was less than three months for 52.3% of all patients. Within two weeks after consultation, 53.2% of the patients died, and the median time until death was 11 days (range 191) after consultation. Most patients died in hospital (49.4%) but only 7.5% preferred to die in hospital. Consultations were mostly requested for advance care planning (31.6%). End-of-life preferences focused on last wishes and maintaining quality of life.ConclusionThis study provides detailed insight into consultations of palliative care teams and shows that even though most palliative care consultations were requested for advance care planning, consultations focus on end-of-life care and are more crisis-oriented than prevention-oriented. Death often occurs too quickly after consultation for end-of-life preferences to be met and these preferences tend to focus on dying. Educating healthcare professionals on when to initiate advance care planning would promote a more prevention-oriented approach. Defining factors that indicate the need for timely palliative care team consultation and advance care planning could help timely identification and consultation.
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