Characteristics of Preparation and Terminal Phases of VSED (96 Patients)
| Characteristic | % (95% CI) |
|---|---|
| Preparation phase | |
| Physician was informed of the patient’s intention in advance | |
| Yes, by the patient | 46 (36–56) |
| Yes, by the patient’s proxy | 4 (1–11) |
| No, but the patient had stated that he/she did not want to continue living | 25 (17–35) |
| No | 25 (17–35) |
| Physician or proxy involvement | |
| No family physician or proxy | 16 (10–24) |
| Family physician (for guidance, support, or care)a | |
| In preparing for VSED | 21 (14–30) |
| During the process of VSED | 55 (45–65) |
| Palliative sedation until death | 28 (20–38) |
| No | 38 (28–48) |
| Proxiesa | |
| In preparing for VSED | 44 (34–54) |
| During the process of VSED | 53 (43–63) |
| No | 28 (20–38) |
| Don’t know | 3 (1–9) |
| Terminal phase | |
| Symptoms in the last 3 days before deathb | |
| Yes | 36 (28–46) |
| None | 42 (32–52) |
| None (but palliative sedation was given) | 10 (6–18) |
| Don’t know | 11 (6–20) |
| Symptoms reportedc,d | |
| Pain | 14 (8–23) |
| Fatigue | 9 (5–18) |
| Impaired cognitive functioning | 8 (4–16) |
| Thirst or dry throate | 7 (3–15) |
| Delirium | 6 (2–13) |
| Dyspnea | 6 (2–13) |
| Reduced consciousness | 5 (1–12) |
| Agitation | 5 (1–12) |
| Impaired communication | 4 (1–10) |
| Otherf | 6 (3–15) |
| Physicians’ impression that dying process went according to the patient’s wish | |
| Yes | 80 (71–87) |
| Partly | 18 (11–27) |
| No | 2 (0–8) |
| If partly or no, reason whyc | |
| Duration too long | 11 (6–20) |
| Patient preferred PAS | 3 (1–9) |
| Communication problems | 1 (0–6) |
| Inability to say goodbye | 1 (0–6) |
| Agitation | 1 (0–6) |
PAS = physician-assisted suicide; VSED = voluntary stopping of eating and drinking.
Note: Total number of cases was 96, as data for 3 patients were missing (3.0%).
↵a Respondents could give 1 or more answers.
↵b Phrasing of the question: “Did the patient have physical, psychological or other symptoms or complaints in the last 3 days before death?”
↵c Open-ended question; respondent could give multiple answers.
↵d n = 85, 11 did not know, 3 missing (13.9%).
↵e Thirst 3%, dry mouth or throat 3%.
↵f Other: decubitus (2%), (deterioration of) heart failure (2%), gloom or sadness (2%), edema (1%), problems ingesting medication (1%).