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Physician-reported practices in continuous deep sedation until death: a descriptive and comparative study

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<mark>Journal publication date</mark>06/2014
<mark>Journal</mark>Palliative Medicine
Issue number6
Volume28
Number of pages10
Pages (from-to)491-500
Publication StatusPublished
Early online date9/04/14
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

Background: Research on continuous deep sedation until death has focused on estimating prevalence and describing clinical practice across care settings. However, evidence on sedation practices by physician specialty is scarce.
Aims: To compare and contrast physician-reported practices on continuous deep sedation until death between general practitioners and medical specialists.
Design/participants: A secondary analysis drawing upon data from a large-scale, population-based, retrospective survey among physicians in Flanders, Belgium in 2007. Symptom prevalence and characteristics of sedation (drugs used, artificial nutrition and hydration administered, intentions, and decision-making) were measured.
Results: Response rate was 58.4%. The frequency of continuous deep sedation until death among all deaths was 11.3% for general practitioners and 18.4% for medical specialists. General practitioners reported significantly higher rates of severity and mean intensity of pain, delirium, dyspnea, and nausea in the last 24 h of life for sedated patients and a higher number of severe symptoms than medical specialists. No differences were found between groups in the drugs used, except in propofol, reported only by medical specialists (in 15.8% of all cases). Artificial nutrition and hydration was withheld or withdrawn in 97.2% of general practitioner and 36.2% of medical specialist cases. Explicit life-shortening intentions were reported by both groups (for 3%–4% of all cases). Continuous deep sedation until death was initiated without consent or request of either the patient or the family in 27.9% (medical specialists) and 4.7% (general practitioners) of the cases reported.
Conclusion: Considerable variation, often largely deviating from professional guidelines, was observed in physician-reported performance and decision-making, highlighting the importance of providing clearer guidance on the specific needs of the context in which continuous deep sedation until death is to be performed.

Bibliographic note

© The Author(s) 2014.