Projects per year
Abstract
Aim
In 2003, after the euthanasia law was passed, LifeEnd Information Forum (LEIF) was founded in Belgium to train physicians to consult, advice, and inform about end-of-life care decisions and euthanasia. So far, evaluation of this supporting health service is lacking. This study describes number and content of requests LEIF-physicians receive in a one-year period, including palliative care related issues.
Methods
All 128 active LEIF-physician were sent a questionnaire asking about demographics, training in end-of-life care, and consultation and information requests from May 2007-May 2008.
Results
Response percentage was 75%. 73% of respondents were GP, 26% were part of a palliative care team, 41% followed postgraduate studies in palliative care, and 72% had some form of additional palliative care training.
In one year they received 2518 requests for information by patients mostly about living wills (n=656), the legal procedure of euthanasia (n=623), palliative care (n=533), and 1491 requests by physicians, of which 37% (n=545) was about the legal procedure or practical performance of euthanasia.
Respondents were contacted 550 times for consultation with attending physician and patient regarding a specific end-of-life decision. Of these cases 65% ensued from a patient request for physician-assisted death, and for 57% (n=311) an actual consultation as a second physician as prescribed by the euthanasia law was made. All due care criteria were judged to be met in 284 cases (91% of actual consultations); 219 of these cases (77%) ended in euthanasia.
Conclusion
LEIF-physicians are more often consulted by patients than by physicians. In these, patients address a broad spectrum of end of life issues, including on palliative care. Physicians mainly contact LEIF-physicians for concrete information about euthanasia and for actual consultation as second physicians in cases of patients requesting euthanasia in order to reach a well-considered decision. Funding: IWT-Flanders
In 2003, after the euthanasia law was passed, LifeEnd Information Forum (LEIF) was founded in Belgium to train physicians to consult, advice, and inform about end-of-life care decisions and euthanasia. So far, evaluation of this supporting health service is lacking. This study describes number and content of requests LEIF-physicians receive in a one-year period, including palliative care related issues.
Methods
All 128 active LEIF-physician were sent a questionnaire asking about demographics, training in end-of-life care, and consultation and information requests from May 2007-May 2008.
Results
Response percentage was 75%. 73% of respondents were GP, 26% were part of a palliative care team, 41% followed postgraduate studies in palliative care, and 72% had some form of additional palliative care training.
In one year they received 2518 requests for information by patients mostly about living wills (n=656), the legal procedure of euthanasia (n=623), palliative care (n=533), and 1491 requests by physicians, of which 37% (n=545) was about the legal procedure or practical performance of euthanasia.
Respondents were contacted 550 times for consultation with attending physician and patient regarding a specific end-of-life decision. Of these cases 65% ensued from a patient request for physician-assisted death, and for 57% (n=311) an actual consultation as a second physician as prescribed by the euthanasia law was made. All due care criteria were judged to be met in 284 cases (91% of actual consultations); 219 of these cases (77%) ended in euthanasia.
Conclusion
LEIF-physicians are more often consulted by patients than by physicians. In these, patients address a broad spectrum of end of life issues, including on palliative care. Physicians mainly contact LEIF-physicians for concrete information about euthanasia and for actual consultation as second physicians in cases of patients requesting euthanasia in order to reach a well-considered decision. Funding: IWT-Flanders
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Abstracts of the 11th Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care |
| Publisher | Hayward Medical Communications |
| Pages | 157-157 |
| Number of pages | 226 |
| Publication status | Published - 7 May 2009 |
| Event | 11th Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care - Vienna, Austria Duration: 7 May 2009 → 10 May 2009 |
Conference
| Conference | 11th Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | EAPC |
| Country/Territory | Austria |
| City | Vienna |
| Period | 7/05/09 → 10/05/09 |
Keywords
- health service
- end-of-life
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'The role and involvement of the specialized health service "LEIF physicians" in end-of-life decision making in Belgium.'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
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IWT323: Monitoring the quality of end-of-life care in Flanders (MELC-study)
Leemans, K., Deliens, L., Bilsen, J., Cohen, J., Van den Block, L., Meeussen, K., Chambaere, K., Smets, T., Houttekier, D., Pousset, G. & Van Wesemael, Y.
1/09/06 → 31/08/10
Project: Fundamental