Classification of end-of-life decisions by dutch physicians:Findings from a cross-sectional survey

Background: At the end of patients’ lives, physicians sometimes provide medication with the explicit intention to hasten death. Physicians’ assessment of such acts varies. We studied which characteristics are associated with physicians’ classification of these acts. Methods: This study concerns a secondary analysis of a nationwide study on the practice of medical decision-making at the end of life. In 2015, attending physicians of a sample of deceased people (n=9,351) received a questionnaire about end-of-life care and decision-making. The response rate was 78%. We studied 851 cases in which p... Mehr ...