TY - JOUR
T1 - Wish for euthanasia persists for at least one year after the request was declined by Euthanasia Expertise Center
AU - van den Ende, Caroline
AU - Bunge, Eveline M.
AU - van de Vathorst, Suzanne
N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by Euthanasia Expertise Center . The funder approved the study design and was not involved in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, the writing of the manuscript, and the decision to submit the article for publication. Funding Information: The authors would like to thank Steven Pleiter for making this study possible. We also thank Frouke Siebenga and Jenne Wielenga for their useful suggestions during the design process of the study and their assistance with the data collection. This work was supported by Euthanasia Expertise Center. The funder approved the study design and was not involved in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, the writing of the manuscript, and the decision to submit the article for publication. C. van den Ende and E.M. Bunge report grants from Expertise Center Euthanasia, during the conduct of the study. S. van de Vathorst has nothing to disclose. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2021/8
Y1 - 2021/8
N2 - Background: Euthanasia Expertise Center (EEC) in the Netherlands provides euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide for patients who meet all requirements of the Dutch Euthanasia Law, but whose treating physician declined their request. Little is known about how life continues for a patient after a request for physician-assisted death (PAD) is also declined by EEC. Objective: To follow-up patients whose request for PAD was declined at EEC. Methods: Between December 2016 and January 2020, 66 patients were prospectively followed for one year after their request was declined. Their general well-being and health, persistence of the wish for PAD, and mortality was measured by means of a questionnaire administered after three, six and 12 months. Furthermore, information was extracted from the patient's medical record. Findings: More than half (58%) of the included patients suffered from an accumulation of old-age complaints. In the year after the request was declined, 15 patients (23%) died, three of whom committed suicide. Almost all patients who were alive after one year, persisted in their wish for PAD. Moreover, they were often not doing well. Conclusions: Considering that EEC is a last resort for those who were not granted PAD elsewhere, and that the wish for PAD persists, aftercare services should be provided to people whose request has been declined.
AB - Background: Euthanasia Expertise Center (EEC) in the Netherlands provides euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide for patients who meet all requirements of the Dutch Euthanasia Law, but whose treating physician declined their request. Little is known about how life continues for a patient after a request for physician-assisted death (PAD) is also declined by EEC. Objective: To follow-up patients whose request for PAD was declined at EEC. Methods: Between December 2016 and January 2020, 66 patients were prospectively followed for one year after their request was declined. Their general well-being and health, persistence of the wish for PAD, and mortality was measured by means of a questionnaire administered after three, six and 12 months. Furthermore, information was extracted from the patient's medical record. Findings: More than half (58%) of the included patients suffered from an accumulation of old-age complaints. In the year after the request was declined, 15 patients (23%) died, three of whom committed suicide. Almost all patients who were alive after one year, persisted in their wish for PAD. Moreover, they were often not doing well. Conclusions: Considering that EEC is a last resort for those who were not granted PAD elsewhere, and that the wish for PAD persists, aftercare services should be provided to people whose request has been declined.
KW - End-of-life care
KW - Euthanasia
KW - Prospective studies
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85107960255&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2021.05.004
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2021.05.004
M3 - Article
C2 - 34134899
SN - 0168-8510
VL - 125
SP - 1108
EP - 1113
JO - Health policy (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
JF - Health policy (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
IS - 8
ER -