How do general practitioners assess the criteria for due care for euthanasia in concrete cases?
Author InfoHanssen-de Wolf, Johanna E. Pasman, H. Roeline W. Onwuteaka-Philipsen, Bregje D. Abstract Objective In the Netherlands the law states that physicians are allowed to grant a request for euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide (EAS) if specific criteria for due care are met. This study investigated which sources physicians use to determine whether three of these criteria (unbearable and hopeless suffering, and no realistic alternatives for treatment) are met.Methods The data were collected for the project Support and Consultation on Euthanasia in the Netherlands. General practitioners (GPs) received a written questionnaire concerning the most recent request for EAS that they had received. Of the 3614 (60%) GPs who returned the questionnaire, 1681 described the most recent request for EAS.Results The study shows that physicians used different types of sources, and more than one source, to determine whether the criteria were met. More sources were used when the criteria were me
