The incidence and characteristics of end-of-life decisions by GPs in Belgium

Background. Medical end-of-life decisions (ELDs) have been discussed for several years in different countries, but little is known about the involvement of GPs in these ELDs. Objectives. The aim of the present study was to establish the incidence and characteristics of ELDs by GPs. Method. We selected 3999 deaths, a 20% random sample of all registered deaths during the first 4 months of 1998 in Flanders, Belgium, and mailed anonymous questionnaires to the attesting physicians. Here we focus exclusively on the 1647 deaths certified by GPs. Results. The GPs returned 1067 questionnaires (response... Mehr ...