Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30151675›Full record

ArticleCanadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique2018

Quebec physicians' perspectives on medical aid in dying for incompetent patients with dementia.

Gina Bravo, Claudie Rodrigue, Marcel Arcand, Jocelyn Downie, Marie-France Dubois, Sharon Kaasalainen, Cees M Hertogh, Sophie Pautex, Lieve Van den Block, Lise Trottier

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 17% of its field
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

4 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

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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

10 authors at 7 institutions in 4 countries.

Gina BravoDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada. Gina.Bravo@USherbrooke.ca.ORCID 0000-0001-9174-7836
Claudie RodrigueResearch Centre on Aging, University Institute of Geriatrics of Sherbrooke, 1036 South Belvedere Street, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
Marcel ArcandResearch Centre on Aging, University Institute of Geriatrics of Sherbrooke, 1036 South Belvedere Street, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
Jocelyn DownieSchulich School of Law and Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Marie-France DuboisDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
Sharon KaasalainenDepartment of Family Medicine, School of Nursing, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Cees M HertoghDepartment of General Practice and Elderly Care Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Medical Center, and EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Sophie PautexDepartment of Community Medicine and Primary Care, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
Lieve Van den BlockVUB-UGhent End-of-life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.
Lise TrottierResearch Centre on Aging, University Institute of Geriatrics of Sherbrooke, 1036 South Belvedere Street, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
Université de Sherbrooke · CAHealth and Social Services Centre University Institute of Geriatrics of Sherbrooke · CAAmsterdam Public Health · NLDalhousie University · CAMcMaster University · CAUniversity Hospital of Geneva · CHVrije Universiteit Brussel · BE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo elicit Quebec physicians' attitudes towards extending medical aid in dying (MAiD) to incompetent patients and to compare the attitudes of family physicians to those of other medical specialists.

methodsWe conducted a postal survey among physicians caring for patients with dementia. We used hypothetical vignettes to elicit their attitudes towards MAiD and continuous deep sedation (CDS) to relieve suffering at end of life. Two patients were depicted in the vignettes: one with cancer eligible for MAiD and one with dementia. The generalized estimating equation approach was used to investigate factors associated with attitudes, including the stage of the illness (advanced vs terminal dementia) and the presence or absence of a prior written request.

resultsA total of 136 physicians out of 653 returned the questionnaire. Physicians favoured CDS over MAiD for relieving suffering in the cancer vignette (93% vs 79%; p = 0.002). In advanced dementia, 45% of physicians supported giving the patient access to MAiD with a written request and 14% without such request. At the terminal stage of dementia, these proportions increased to 71% and 43%, respectively (p < 0.001), reaching 79% and 52% among family physicians. Support for CDS in terminal dementia was lower than in end-stage cancer (68% vs 93%; p < 0.001) and equal to MAiD with a written request (68% vs 71%; p = 0.623).

conclusionMany Quebec physicians support extending MAiD to incompetent patients with dementia to relieve suffering at the terminal stage. This finding will inform current deliberations as to whether MAiD should be extended to these patients.

Indexed as

Attitude of Health PersonnelMental CompetencyAdultDementiaFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPhysiciansQuebecSuicide, AssistedSurveys and QuestionnairesAdvance directiveDecisional incapacityDementiaEuthanasiaPhysicianSurvey

Identifiers

PMID30151675
PMCPMC6964547
OpenAlexW2888859798

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.