Physician-reported practices on continuous deep sedation until death : A descriptive and comparative study

Autor: Evangelia Evie, Papavasiliou, Kenneth, Chambaere, Luc, Deliens, Sarah, Brearley, Sheila, Payne, Judith, Rietjens, Robert, Vander Stichele, Lieve, Van den Block, Deliens, Luc
Přispěvatelé: End-of-life Care Research Group, Public and occupational health, EMGO - Quality of care
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2014
Předmět:
Zdroj: Palliative Medicine, 28(6), 491-500. SAGE Publications Ltd
Papavasiliou, E, Chambaere, K, Deliens, L, Brearley, S, Payne, S, Rietjens, J, van der Stichele, R & Block, L 2014, ' Physician-reported practices on continuous deep sedation until death: A descriptive and comparative study ', Palliative Medicine, vol. 28, no. 6, pp. 491-500 . https://doi.org/10.1177/0269216314530768
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
ISSN: 0269-2163
DOI: 10.1177/0269216314530768
Popis: Background: Research on continuous deep sedation until death has focused on estimating prevalence and describing clinical practice across care settings. However, evidence on sedation practices by physician specialty is scarce. Aims: To compare and contrast physician-reported practices on continuous deep sedation until death between general practitioners and medical specialists. Design/participants: A secondary analysis drawing upon data from a large-scale, population-based, retrospective survey among physicians in Flanders, Belgium in 2007. Symptom prevalence and characteristics of sedation (drugs used, artificial nutrition and hydration administered, intentions, and decision-making) were measured. Results: Response rate was 58.4%. The frequency of continuous deep sedation until death among all deaths was 11.3% for general practitioners and 18.4% for medical specialists. General practitioners reported significantly higher rates of severity and mean intensity of pain, delirium, dyspnea, and nausea in the last 24 h of life for sedated patients and a higher number of severe symptoms than medical specialists. No differences were found between groups in the drugs used, except in propofol, reported only by medical specialists (in 15.8% of all cases). Artificial nutrition and hydration was withheld or withdrawn in 97.2% of general practitioner and 36.2% of medical specialist cases. Explicit life-shortening intentions were reported by both groups (for 3%–4% of all cases). Continuous deep sedation until death was initiated without consent or request of either the patient or the family in 27.9% (medical specialists) and 4.7% (general practitioners) of the cases reported. Conclusion: Considerable variation, often largely deviating from professional guidelines, was observed in physician-reported performance and decision-making, highlighting the importance of providing clearer guidance on the specific needs of the context in which continuous deep sedation until death is to be performed.
Databáze: OpenAIRE