Ghent University Hospital’s protocol regarding the procedure concerning euthanasia and psychological suffering
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BACKGROUND: Notwithstanding fears of overly permissive approaches and related pleas to refuse euthanasia for psychological suffering, some Belgian hospitals have declared that such requests could be admissible. However, some of these hospitals have decided that such requests have to be managed and carried out outside their walls. MAIN TEXT: Ghent University Hospital has developed a written policy regarding requests for euthanasia for psychological suffering coming from patients from outside the hospital. The protocol stipulates several due care criteria that go beyond the requirements of the Belgian Euthanasia Law. For instance, the legally required first and second consulted physicians should all be psychiatrists and be affiliated with a psychiatry department of a Flemish university hospital. Moreover, euthanasia for psychological suffering can only be performed if the advices of these consulted physicians are positive. Importantly, preliminary reflection by the multidisciplinary Hospital Ethics Committee was introduced to discuss every request for euthanasia for psychological suffering coming from outside the hospital. CONCLUSION: In this way, the protocol supports psychiatrists faced with the complexities of assessing such requests, improves the quality of euthanasia practice by ensuring transparency and uniformity, and offers patients specialised support and guidance during their euthanasia procedure. Nevertheless, some concerns still remain (e.g. relating to possible unrealistic patient expectations and to the absence of aftercare for the bereaved or for patients whose requests have been refused).
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The perspective that a MAiD request may be at first considered as "a cry for help" and a two-track approach focusing both "on the life track" by engaging in ongoing treatment and on the "death track" by assessing MAiD eligibility aligns with the study's findings.
“This perspective aligns with literature suggesting that a MAiD request may be at first considered as “a cry for help”, and with a two-track approach focusing both “on the life track” by engaging in ongoing treatment, and on the “death track” by assessing MAiD eligibility [22, 23, 44].”
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Cites
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BackgroundEutanasia, suicidio asistido y psiquiatría
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- Authors
- Verhofstadt, M., Audenaert, K., Van Assche, K., Sterckx, S., & Chambaere, K.
- Affiliations
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (BE)
- Ghent University (BE)
- Corresponding author
- Verhofstadt, M.
- Venue
- BMC Medical Ethics
- Published
- 2019-09-02
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 59-59
- ISSN
- 1472-6939 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6720846
- OpenAlex
- W2971100875
- Cited by
- 15
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 1
- FWCI
- 0.69
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- BMC Medical Ethics (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- VUBIR (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (PhD Fellowship (1162618N) and research project (G017818N))
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative and Oncologic Care
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Ethics and bioethics in healthcare
- Keywords
- euthanasia, psychological suffering, Belgian euthanasia law, psychiatric consultation
- MeSH terms
- Belgium, Health Services Research, Hospitals, University, Humans, Policy Making, Psychotic Disorders, Stress, Psychological, Mental Competency, Euthanasia, Active, Voluntary, Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant
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