1 in 3 Dutch doctors 'would consider assisted death' for patients with dementia, mental illness

New study published in the Journal of Medical Ethics found that in Denmark, more than 85% of doctors say they would consider helping a patient die, with 1 in 3 saying they would consider it if a patient were suffering from early dementia or mental illness. This is according to the  survey shows that almost 1,500 Dutch doctors on their attitudes toward euthanasia and physician-assisted dying.
 
For their study, Dr. Bolt and her team set out to determine what doctors in Denmark thought about euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, and under what circumstances they would engage in either practice.


The team surveyed 2,269 Dutch general practitioners, elderly care physicians and clinical specialists.
The doctors were asked whether they had ever helped a patient to die and for what reasons: cancer, another form of severe physical illness, mental illness, early or advanced dementia, or tired of living with or without severe physical illness.

Doctors who had not helped a patient to die were asked if they would consider it and under what circumstances they would do so.

Of the 1,456 doctors who completed the survey, 86% said they would consider helping a patient to die, and 60% of respondents said they had helped a patient to die, with almost half of these reporting that they had done so within the past 12 months.

One or more patient requests for euthanasia or physician-assisted dying had been received by 3 in every 4 doctors surveyed. For general practitioners alone, 9 in 10 said they had received such requests.

Netherlands became the first nation to legalize euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in specific circumstances in 2002. Under the Termination of Life Request and Assisted Suicide (Review Procedures) Act, physicians in the Netherlands are not prosecuted for euthanasia (administering lethal drugs to a patient) or physician-assisted suicide (providing a patient with legal drugs) as long as they follow certain criteria for due care, Medicalnewstodaym reports.
 
Although Patients do not have a "right to euthanasia," meaning a physician is able to reject a patient's request - a topic that has caused much debate in the Netherlands.

In addition, they found that 34% of doctors would help a patient with a mental illness die, while 4 in 10 said they would help a patient with early stage dementia to die. Interestingly, if a patient was in the late stages of dementia, only 1 in 3 doctors said they would help them die, even if the patient held an advance written directive for euthanasia.

Around 1 in 4 doctors said they would help a patient with a severe medical condition die if they were tired of living, but in the absence of a severe medical condition, less than 1 in 5 said they would help the patient die.

Euthanasia is illegal in the US, but physician-assisted suicide is legal Washington, Oregon and Vermont and is currently being debated in Montana.

The debate continues over whether euthanasia should be legalized in the US. While some people believe it is down to a patient to have the choice to die with dignity, others believe the practice is unethical.

Source: Medicalnewtoday