Understanding why patients request euthanasia when it is illegal: a qualitative study in palliative care units on the personal and practical impact of euthanasia requests

Context

Some patients in palliative care units request euthanasia regardless of legislation. Although studies have explored the reasons for these requests, little is known about the subjective, relational, and contextual repercussions for the patient.

Objectives

The aim of this study is to understand the purpose of euthanasia requests from the patient's viewpoint and their personal and practical impact.

Methods

We conducted in-depth interviews with patients requesting euthanasia, their family members, and health care providers in 11 French palliative care units. A thematic analysis of the data was performed.

Results

In total, 18 patients were interviewed within 48 h of the request being made; 1 week later, 9 patients were interviewed again. Five main themes emerged: assuming the possibility of transgressing the forbidden, a call for unbearable suffering to be recognized, encouragement to change clinical practice, reclaiming a sense of freedom over medical constraints, and imagining a desirable future for oneself.

Conclusions

A request for euthanasia appears to be a willful means to remove oneself from the impasse of an existence paralyzed by suffering. It creates a space for discussion, which promotes negotiation with patients on care practices and therapeutics, and strengthens patients' sense of autonomy. Investigating the relationship between the evolution of euthanasia requests within the palliative care setting could be beneficial. It is important to encourage health care professionals to adopt a readiness to listen by interacting with patients in a way that is not momentarily action-oriented but rather focused on proactive discussion.

[The time of dying and the time of hospital: end of life patients in emergency departments]

A significant number of seriously ill patients die in French emergency departments. A qualitative study of the care of end of life patients in two emergency departments in teaching hospitals was conducted to analyze the work of practitioners. Organizational and funding constraints exert a significant influence on the quality of care, which in some cases may become inconsistent and cause tensions among staff. These issues are largely the result of contradictions between the temporal characteristics of some deaths and work organization. This paper offers a number of suggestions for improving the care of end of life patients in emergency departments.