Physicians in the Netherlands rely on careful patient evaluations and official practice guidelines when considering patient requests for euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (EAS), according to a study in the August 8/22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
In Oregon, Belgium and the Netherlands physicians are permitted to perform euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide if specific official requirements are met, according to background information in the article. Because of the complexity of an EAS request and decision, several types of situations can arise: the request can be granted and EAS performed, patients can die of natural causes before the performance of EAS or before the decision is made, the patient can withdraw the request or the request can be refused.
Marijke C. Jansen-van der Weide, M.Sc., of VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and colleagues surveyed all general practitioners in 18 of 22 Dutch general practice districts. Physicians received a written questionnaire in which they were asked about the number of requests for EAS they had received in the last 12 months and how they had dealt with those requests. In addition, physicians were asked to describe in detail the most explicit request for EAS received in the last 18 months, including patient symptoms, the extent to which the patient's situation met the official requirements for accepted practice and the decision-making process.