IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v68y2009i10p1745-1751.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A survey of self-directed dying attended by proxies in the Dutch population

Author

Listed:
  • Chabot, Boudewijn E.
  • Goedhart, Arnold

Abstract

Physicians may hasten death by medical decisions to end life (MDEL) that have been extensively researched. However, outside the medical domain, some individuals hasten their death by Voluntary Refusal of Food and Fluid while receiving some palliative care (VRFF) or by Independently taking Lethal Medication attended by a Confidant (ILMC). Both dying trajectories are more or less under the control of the individuals themselves. No survey data are available on how often these self-directed deaths occur in the Dutch population. We have isolated VRFF and ILMC from other dying trajectories in a population-based study employing after-death interviews with relatives, friends or nurses. Members of a research database that is representative of the Dutch population (n = 31,516) were asked whether they had been a confidant in someone's decision to hasten death by VRFF or ILMC. In this sample, 144 deaths that conformed to our definitions were reported by proxies. We have computed an annual frequency of 2.1% VRFF deaths and of 1.1% ILMC deaths. The annual frequencies of VRFF and ILMC appear to be roughly the same as the yearly frequency of physician-assisted dying (1.8%). In seventy percent of those who had died by VRFF or ILMC, a diagnosis of cancer or a serious illness was reported by the informant. The proxies retrospectively described the self-directed hastening of death by both methods as a dignified death in about 75% of deaths. Both VRFF and ILMC require strenuous efforts and reflect a strong desire to control the process of dying. End-of-life research has shown that some control over the time of death is an important aspect of a 'good death' in western countries. We therefore presume that these self-directed methods for hastening death in consultation with proxies occur in other countries as well.

Suggested Citation

  • Chabot, Boudewijn E. & Goedhart, Arnold, 2009. "A survey of self-directed dying attended by proxies in the Dutch population," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(10), pages 1745-1751, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:68:y:2009:i:10:p:1745-1751
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277-9536(09)00151-8
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Seale, Clive & van der Geest, Sjaak, 2004. "Good and bad death: Introduction," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(5), pages 883-885, March.
    2. van der Geest, Sjaak, 2004. "Dying peacefully: considering good death and bad death in Kwahu-Tafo, Ghana," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(5), pages 899-911, March.
    3. McPherson, C. J. & Addington-Hall, J. M., 2003. "Judging the quality of care at the end of life: can proxies provide reliable information?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 56(1), pages 95-109, January.
    4. Seale, Clive & Addington-Hall, Julia & McCarthy, Mark, 1997. "Awareness of dying: Prevalence, causes and consequences," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 477-484, August.
    5. Seale, Clive, 2004. "Media constructions of dying alone: a form of 'bad death'," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(5), pages 967-974, March.
    6. McNamara, Beverley, 2004. "Good enough death: autonomy and choice in Australian palliative care," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(5), pages 929-938, March.
    7. Jacobson, Nora, 2007. "Dignity and health: A review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 292-302, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. van Wijngaarden, Els & Leget, Carlo & Goossensen, Anne, 2015. "Ready to give up on life: The lived experience of elderly people who feel life is completed and no longer worth living," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 257-264.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lang, Alexander & Frankus, Elisabeth & Heimerl, Katharina, 2022. "The perspective of professional caregivers working in generalist palliative care on ‘good dying’: An integrative review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 293(C).
    2. Paolo Rossi & Matteo Crippa & Gianlorenzo Scaccabarozzi, 2021. "The Relationship between Practitioners and Caregivers during a Treatment of Palliative Care: A Grounded Theory of a Challenging Collaborative Process," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-15, July.
    3. Stacey, Clare L. & Pai, Manacy & Novisky, Meghan A. & Radwany, Steven M., 2019. "Revisiting ‘awareness contexts’ in the 21st century hospital: How fragmented and specialized care shape patients' Awareness of Dying," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 212-218.
    4. Olson, Rebecca E. & Smith, Alexandra & Good, Phillip & Neate, Emily & Hughes, Cody & Hardy, Janet, 2021. "Emotionally reflexive labour in end-of-life communication," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 291(C).
    5. Thomas, Carol, 2005. "The place of death of cancer patients: can qualitative data add to known factors?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(11), pages 2597-2607, June.
    6. Alexandre Cotovio Martins & Michel Binet & David Monteiro & Oriana Brás, 2022. "Preparing End-of-Life Talks in Palliative Care: Exploratory Remarks on a Social Process," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 27(2), pages 236-250, June.
    7. Panter-Brick, Catherine & Eggerman, Mark, 2018. "The field of medical anthropology in Social Science & Medicine," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 233-239.
    8. Marcelle Tauber‐Gilmore & Gulen Addis & Zainab Zahran & Sally Black & Lesley Baillie & Sue Procter & Christine Norton, 2018. "The views of older people and health professionals about dignity in acute hospital care," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(1-2), pages 223-234, January.
    9. Sanchez, Mari & Lamont, Michèle & Zilberstein, Shira, 2022. "How American college students understand social resilience and navigate towards the future during covid and the movement for racial justice," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 301(C).
    10. Gibson, Barbara E. & Secker, Barbara & Rolfe, Debbie & Wagner, Frank & Parke, Bob & Mistry, Bhavnita, 2012. "Disability and dignity-enabling home environments," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(2), pages 211-219.
    11. Wilches-Gutiérrez, José L. & Arenas-Monreal, Luz & Paulo-Maya, Alfredo & Peláez-Ballestas, Ingris & Idrovo, Alvaro J., 2012. "A ‘beautiful death’: Mortality, death, and holidays in a Mexican municipality," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(5), pages 775-782.
    12. Ana Patrícia Hilário & Fábio Rafael Augusto, 2022. "Pathways for a ‘Good Death’: Understanding End-of-Life Practices Through An Ethnographic Study in Two Portuguese Palliative Care Units," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 27(2), pages 219-235, June.
    13. Lindqvist, Olav & Tishelman, Carol, 2015. "Room for Death – International museum-visitors’ preferences regarding the end of their life," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 1-8.
    14. van Wijngaarden, Els & Leget, Carlo & Goossensen, Anne, 2015. "Ready to give up on life: The lived experience of elderly people who feel life is completed and no longer worth living," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 257-264.
    15. Kirby, Emma & Broom, Alex & MacArtney, John & Lewis, Sophie & Good, Phillip, 2021. "Hopeful dying? The meanings and practice of hope in palliative care family meetings," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 291(C).
    16. Collier, Aileen & Broom, Alex, 2021. "Unsettling Place(s) at the end of life," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    17. Cohen, Joachim & Bilsen, Johan & Hooft, Peter & Deboosere, Patrick & Wal, Gerrit van der & Deliens, Luc, 2006. "Dying at home or in an institution: Using death certificates to explore the factors associated with place of death," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(2-3), pages 319-329, October.
    18. Dyfrig Hughes & Joanna Charles & Dalia Dawoud & Rhiannon Tudor Edwards & Emily Holmes & Carys Jones & Paul Parham & Catrin Plumpton & Colin Ridyard & Huw Lloyd-Williams & Eifiona Wood & Seow Tien Yeo, 2016. "Conducting Economic Evaluations Alongside Randomised Trials: Current Methodological Issues and Novel Approaches," PharmacoEconomics, Springer, vol. 34(5), pages 447-461, May.
    19. Gott, M. & Small, Neil & Barnes, Sarah & Payne, Sheila & Seamark, David, 2008. "Older people's views of a good death in heart failure: Implications for palliative care provision," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(7), pages 1113-1121, October.
    20. Lang, Alexander, 2020. "The good death and the institutionalisation of dying: An interpretive analysis of the Austrian discourse," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:68:y:2009:i:10:p:1745-1751. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.