As families, doctors and the court’s debate a patient’s right to die, a survey conducted by a Physician’s Management magazine shows the practice of euthanasia is alive and well in the U.S.
The July issue of Physician Management reports that nearly one in 10 U.S. primary-care physicians has deliberately taken clinical actions that would directly cause the death of a patient, and that nearly half have deliberately taken clinical actions that would indirectly cause a patient’s death. Another 3.7 percent have provided patients or their next of kin with information to be used for suicide.
Almost 30 percent of survey respondents say there are circumstances in which a physician would be justified in causing a patient’s death.
And, according to the survey, end-of-life dilemmas are common in all medical disciplines and are not limited to specialties such as critical care, oncology and gerontology. At some point in their careers, many family doctors must confront a request to end a patient’s life.
More than 90 percent of survey respondents say they have issued “do not resuscitate” orders. This appears such a common practice that controversy around such orders has faded.
However, the removal of life-sustaining therapy, a more direct action to hasten death, continues to be controversial. Almost 60 percent of survey respondents had ordered the removal of life-sustaining therapies .… In addition more than 29 percent of survey respondents say they would not remove a ventilator from a comatose patient who had directed such an action for fear of possible legal problems.
