What medical conditions lead to a request for euthanasia? A rapid scoping review.

Autor: Rahimian Z; Student Research Committee Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz Iran.; MD-MPH Department, School of Medicine Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz Iran., Rahimian L; School of Dentistry Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz Iran., Lopez-Castroman J; Department of Psychiatry, CHU Nîmes & IGF CNRS-INSERM University of Montpellier Montpellier France.; CIBERSAM Madrid Spain., Ostovarfar J; MD-MPH Department, School of Medicine Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz Iran., Fallahi MJ; Thoracic and Vascular Surgery Research Center Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz Iran., Nayeri MA; Student Research Committee Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz Iran.; MD-MPH Department, School of Medicine Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz Iran., Vardanjani HM; MD-MPH Department, School of Medicine, Research Center for Traditional Medicine and History of Medicine Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz Iran.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Health science reports [Health Sci Rep] 2024 Mar 20; Vol. 7 (3), pp. e1978. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Mar 20 (Print Publication: 2024).
DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.1978
Abstrakt: Background and Aims: Euthanasia is a controversial issue related to the right to die. Although euthanasia is mostly requested by terminally sick individuals, even in societies where it is legal, it is unclear what medical conditions lead to euthanasia requests. In this scoping review, we aimed to compile medical conditions for which euthanasia has been requested or performed around the world.
Methods: The review was preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist. Retrieved search results were screened and unrelated documents were excluded. Data on reasons for conducting or requesting euthanasia along with the study type, setting, and publication year were extracted from documents. Human development index and euthanasia legality were also extracted. Major medical fields were used to categorize reported reasons. Group discussions were conducted if needed for this categorization. An electronic search was undertaken in MEDLINE through PubMed for published documents covering the years January 2000 to September 2022.
Results: Out of 3323 records, a total of 197 papers were included. The most common medical conditions in euthanasia requests are cancer in a terminal phase (45.4%), Alzheimer's disease and dementia (19.8%), constant unbearable physical or mental suffering (19.8%), treatment-resistant mood disorders (12.2%), and advanced cardiovascular disorders (12.2%).
Conclusion: Reasons for euthanasia are mostly linked to chronic or terminal physical conditions. Psychiatric disorders also lead to a substantial proportion of euthanasia requests. This review can help to identify the features shared by conditions that lead to performing or requesting euthanasia.
Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
(© 2024 The Authors. Health Science Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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