Exploring doctors’ reasons for not granting a request for euthanasia: a mixed-methods study

Abstract

Background: In a growing number of jurisdictions, physician-assisted death (PAD) is now an established part of medical care. Although PAD is allowed under certain criteria in The Netherlands, physicians can always refuse a request. The Euthanasia Expertise Centre (EEC) offers PAD to patients whose request was declined in circumstances where their own physician could have satisfied the legal criteria. The number of requests reaching EEC has increased, suggesting the threshold for treating physicians to refer patients to EEC has become lower. Aim: To explore the reasons of physicians for not granting a request for PAD and/or referring a patient to EEC, and any needs physicians may have in handling requests for PAD. Design & setting: Survey and interviews among Dutch physicians in The Netherlands. Method: A questionnaire was sent to 500 physicians who declined a request for PAD and whose patient subsequently requested PAD at EEC. This was followed by a qualitative study, in which in-depth interviews were held with 21 of the physicians who responded to the survey. Results: Doctors were identified as those who had objections on principle, or with other reasons for refusing a request for PAD and/or to refer the patient to EEC. These reasons were mostly related to concerns about complying with the due care criteria for PAD, or to difficulties with PAD in specific patient groups. In these cases they often valued support from another healthcare professional. Conclusion: For patients of physicians with objections on principle against PAD, EEC offered a good solution. Doctors who struggle with whether they can comply with the legal criteria might benefit from peer support.