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Related Experiment Videos

Continuous deep sedation: physicians' experiences in six European countries.

Guido Miccinesi1, Judith A C Rietjens, Luc Deliens

  • 1Center for Study and Prevention of Cancer, Epidemiology Unit, Florence, Italy. g.miccinesi@cspo.it

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
|February 21, 2006
PubMed
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Continuous deep sedation (CDS) varied widely across six European countries, affecting 2.5% to 8.5% of deaths. Many patients receiving CDS also did not receive artificial nutrition or hydration.

Area of Science:

  • Palliative Care
  • Medical Ethics
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Continuous deep sedation (CDS) is a clinical intervention for refractory symptoms in terminally ill patients.
  • Understanding the prevalence and patterns of CDS use is crucial for clinical practice and policy development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To estimate the frequency and characteristics of CDS use in six European countries.
  • To compare CDS application and patient demographics across different national healthcare systems.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 20,480 deaths sampled from national registries in Belgium, Denmark, Italy, The Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland.
  • Mailed questionnaires were sent to reporting physicians to gather data on medical decision-making preceding death.

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Main Results:

  • CDS application ranged from 2.5% in Denmark to 8.5% in Italy.
  • A significant proportion of patients receiving CDS (35-64%) did not receive artificial nutrition or hydration.
  • Patients receiving CDS were more likely to be male, under 80, have cancer, and die in a hospital.

Conclusions:

  • Significant variability in CDS frequency and patient characteristics exists across European countries.
  • These findings underscore the need for enhanced medical education and scientific discourse on continuous deep sedation.