Physicians' experiences with demented patients with advance euthanasia directives in the Netherlands

M.L. Rurup, B.D. Philipsen, A. van der Heide, G. van der Wal, P.J. van der Maas

    Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    Abstract

    Objectives: To estimate the incidence of (compliance with) advance euthanasia directives of patients suffering from dementia in the Netherlands and to gain knowledge about the experiences of physicians. Design: Retrospective interview study. Setting: Physicians in the Netherlands. Participants: Four hundred ten physicians. Measurements: Physicians were interviewed about their demented patients who had an advance euthanasia directive. Nursing home physicians were interviewed more extensively. Results: Approximately 2,200 demented patients with an advance euthanasia directive die annually after being treated by a physician who knows about this directive. In 76% of such cases, compliance with the directive was discussed, but euthanasia was seldom performed. In two-thirds of the cases of demented nursing home patients with an advance euthanasia directive, the physician was able to identify during the course of the disease a situation for which the patient had intended the directive. One-quarter of the nursing home physicians thought that their most recent patient suffered unbearably to a (very) high degree, and half of them thought that the patient suffered hopelessly to a (very) high degree. In three-quarters of the cases, the relatives did not want the nursing home physician to comply with the directive, but they did want to respect the patient's wishes by forgoing life-prolonging treatment, which occurred in approximately 90% of cases. Conclusion: Most nursing home physicians think that the suffering of patients with dementia can be unbearable and hopeless as a consequence of dementia, but most physicians do not consider dementia to be grounds for euthanasia, unless perhaps the patient has an additional illness
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1138-1144
    JournalJournal of the American Geriatrics Society
    Volume53
    Issue number7
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2005

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