Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27620630›Full record

ArticleCMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne2016

Euthanasia in Belgium: trends in reported cases between 2003 and 2013.

Sigrid Dierickx, Luc Deliens, Joachim Cohen, Kenneth Chambaere

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Article in CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
21citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

21 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Sigrid DierickxEnd-of-Life Care Research Group (Dierickx, Deliens, Cohen, Chambaere), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, and Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Medical Oncology (Deliens), Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium sigrid.dierickx@vub.ac.be.
Luc DeliensEnd-of-Life Care Research Group (Dierickx, Deliens, Cohen, Chambaere), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, and Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Medical Oncology (Deliens), Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
Joachim CohenEnd-of-Life Care Research Group (Dierickx, Deliens, Cohen, Chambaere), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, and Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Medical Oncology (Deliens), Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
Kenneth ChambaereEnd-of-Life Care Research Group (Dierickx, Deliens, Cohen, Chambaere), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, and Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Medical Oncology (Deliens), Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn 2002, the Belgian Act on Euthanasia came into effect, regulating the intentional ending of life by a physician at the patient's explicit request. We undertook this study to describe trends in officially reported euthanasia cases in Belgium with regard to patients' sociodemographic and clinical profiles, as well as decision-making and performance characteristics.

methodsWe used the database of all euthanasia cases reported to the Federal Control and Evaluation Committee on Euthanasia in Belgium between Jan. 1, 2003, and Dec. 31, 2013 (n = 8752). The committee collected these data with a standardized registration form. We analyzed trends in patient, decision-making and performance characteristics using a χ

resultsThe number of reported euthanasia cases increased every year, from 235 (0.2% of all deaths) in 2003 to 1807 (1.7% of all deaths) in 2013. The rate of euthanasia increased significantly among those aged 80 years or older, those who died in a nursing home, those with a disease other than cancer and those not expected to die in the near future (p < 0.001 for all increases). Reported cases in 2013 most often concerned those with cancer (68.7%) and those under 80 years (65.0%). Palliative care teams were increasingly often consulted about euthanasia requests, beyond the legal requirements to do so (p < 0.001). Among cases reported in Dutch, the proportion in which the person was expected to die in the foreseeable future decreased from 93.9% in 2003 to 84.1% in 2013, and palliative care teams were increasingly consulted about the euthanasia request (from 34.0% in 2003 to 42.6% in 2013). These trends were not significant for cases reported in French.

interpretationSince legalization of euthanasia in Belgium, the number of reported cases has increased each year. Most of those receiving euthanasia were younger than 80 years and were dying of cancer. Given the increases observed among non-terminally ill and older patients, this analysis shows the importance of detailed monitoring of developments in euthanasia practice.

Indexed as

Decision MakingAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overBelgiumDatabases, FactualEuthanasia, Active, VoluntaryFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedReferral and ConsultationSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID27620630
PMCPMC5088089

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.