[Deliberation between physician and patient concerning active euthanasia at the patient's home]

Three patients, one man aged 68 and two aged 67, with terminal incurable cancer, requested euthanasia. It was performed in two, the third patient eventually died without having repeated his request. There are three phases in euthanasia: orientation (the patient asks the physician whether he would be willing to assist should the need arise), organisation (the physician ensures that the necessary prerequisites are fulfilled, i.e. the patient's request must be voluntary, mature and longlasting, his suffering must be longlasting, unbearable and incurable, and another physician must have been consulted and must have prepared a written report), and the phase entered after the definitive decision to perform euthanasia has been taken. The physician should not be reluctant to bring up the subject at an early stage, as it may set the patient's mind at rest to have expressed a wish concerning suffering and the end of life.