Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 2, 2026
07:14
A Quantitative Sensory Testing Paradigm to Obtain Measures of Pain Processing in Patients Undergoing Breast Cancer Surgery
Published on: January 18, 2018
10.0K
Considerations on requests for euthanasia or assisted suicide; a qualitative study with Dutch general practitioners
Katja Ten Cate1, Donald G van Tol2, Suzanne van de Vathorst1,3
1Department of General Practice, section Medical Ethics, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Family Practice
|May 10, 2017
Summary
Physicians in the Netherlands consider factors beyond legal criteria when deciding on euthanasia or assisted suicide (EAS). Unrelated considerations, such as family agreement and patient resignation, influence these complex end-of-life decisions.
Area of Science:
- Medical Ethics
- End-of-Life Care
- Qualitative Research
Background:
- Euthanasia or assisted suicide (EAS) in the Netherlands is not a patient right or physician duty.
- Physicians incorporate personal considerations alongside legal requirements in EAS decisions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To gain a deeper understanding of the factors influencing physicians' decisions regarding requests for EAS.
- To explore the spectrum of considerations, including those not previously documented in EAS literature.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study design.
- Analysis of 33 in-depth interviews with general practitioners (GPs) across the Netherlands.
Main Results:
- Physician considerations for EAS requests fall into three categories: perceived legal criteria, individual interpretations of legal criteria, and non-legal criteria.
- Novel findings include considerations such as family agreement, patient resignation, and conflict resolution, which are not widely discussed in existing literature.
Conclusions:
- The study highlights ethical tensions between physicians' personal views on death and patients' preferences.
- Considerations like 'no unresolved conflicts' or 'sufficient resignation' suggest GPs' personal beliefs about 'good dying' influence EAS decisions.
- Further research is recommended to explore these physician-specific views on 'good dying' in the context of EAS.
Keywords:
Assisted suicideeuthanasialegislation as topicmedical ethicspalliative careprimary health careMore Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:30Ethical Dilemmas II
2.6K
Resolving an ethical dilemma in healthcare involves a systematic approach that considers every aspect of the issue, respecting both the patient's needs and values and the healthcare professional's ethical obligations. Here are potential steps to resolve an ethical dilemma:
2.6K
01:27Ethical Issues
2.3K
Nurses are essential in patient care, upholding the ethical principles of their profession and effectively navigating ethical dilemmas. Neglecting ethical issues can lead to inadequate patient care, compromised therapeutic relationships, and moral distress among healthcare workers.
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
2.3K
01:27Nursing Ethical Principles II
2.3K
Ethical principles are essential in guiding nurses to fulfill their responsibilities, focusing on the quality of nursing care and decision-making. These principles, including autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, and fidelity, shape the ethical framework within healthcare settings.
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's...
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's...
2.3K
01:17Ethical Dilemmas I
2.1K
Ethical dilemmas in nursing are of utmost importance, as they often arise from the tension between adhering to core ethical principles and the practical realities of healthcare delivery. These dilemmas require nurses to navigate complex situations where competing ethical considerations pull them in different directions.
Let us explore some examples to understand the potentially complex moral decisions nurses face.
Take the case of caring for minors, particularly in areas related to reproductive...
Let us explore some examples to understand the potentially complex moral decisions nurses face.
Take the case of caring for minors, particularly in areas related to reproductive...
2.1K
01:08Obedience
35.7K
According to obedience research, we may harm others under the forceful pressures of an authority figure (Milgram, 1974). How about if the inappropriate orders were delivered with less force? The increasing interdependence between nurses and physicians compelled Hofling and his colleagues to explore nurses’ reactions to a potentially harmful medical request made by the perceived authority figure, the doctor (Hofling, Brotzman, Dalrymple, Graves, & Pierce, 1966). In this situation,...
35.7K
01:22Ethics and Bioethics
3.2K
Ethics is a philosophical study of moral actions. Ethics attempts to determine what is valuable for individuals and society. It examines the rational justification of moral judgments and analyzes what is morally just, fair, and right. Bioethics is a sub-discipline of applied ethics that analyzes the philosophical, social, and legal issues in life sciences and medicine. Ethical theories serve as a foundation for decision-making and represent the viewpoints from which people seek direction. They...
3.2K