TY  - JOUR
PY  - 1998//
TI  - Medical decisions at the end of life: epidemiological and psychiatric aspects
JO  - Epidemiologia e Psichiatria Sociale
A1  - Starace, F.
SP  - 135
EP  - 146
VL  - 7
IS  - 2
N2  - OBJECTIVE: Despite the ongoing moral and legal debate, there is still a paucity of empirical literature on the actual occurrence of Medical Decisions at the End of Life (MDEL). Moreover, the psychiatrist's role in this scenario is still unclear. METHODS: This paper systematically reviews currently available literature on euthanasia (EU) and physician assisted suicide (PAS). Published articles were selected if they reported either: 1) prevalence estimates of patients' requests of EU/PAS; and/or 2) prevalence estimates of physicians' actual EU/PAS practices. Papers exploring the issue of MDEL-related psychiatric consultation have been also included in the review. RESULTS: The empirical evidence reported in this paper shows that EU/PAS demands and acts are not uncommon in medical practice. A conservative estimate indicates that at least 10% of physicians have granted a request of EU/PAS. The involvement of consultation-liaison psychiatrists in MDELs seems to be relatively rare. CONCLUSIONS: Euthanasia and other MDELs require physicians' thoughtful evaluation of criteria guiding professional decision-making. To this purpose, epidemiological and psychosocial research can offer a valuable contribution.<p /> <p>Language: it</p>
LA  - it
SN  - 1121-189X
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -