ArticleBMC psychiatry2020
Belgian psychiatrists' attitudes towards, and readiness to engage in, euthanasia assessment procedures with adults with psychiatric conditions: a survey.
Article in BMC psychiatry, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- Attitudes, Roles, and Competencies of Clinical Psychologists Regarding Euthanasia Due to Unbearable Mental Suffering.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2025Article
- Mapping ethical issues encompassing end-of-life care for persons experiencing severe and persistent mental illness: a qualitative study.BMC medical ethics · 2025Article
- The role of the ethics expert in Spanish legislation on euthanasia and mental health.Monash bioethics review · 2025Review
- Key challenges in providing assisted dying in Belgium: a qualitative analysis of health professionals' experiences.Palliative care and social practice · 2025Article
- Ethical perspectives regarding Euthanasia, including in the context of adult psychiatry: a qualitative interview study among healthcare workers in Belgium.BMC medical ethics · 2024Article
- Mapping the ethical aspects in end-of-life care for persons with a severe and persistent mental illness: A scoping review of the literature.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
- Debating Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Death in People with Psychiatric Disorders.Current psychiatry reports · 2022Review
- Attitudes toward the Legalization of Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide in South Korea: A Cross-Sectional Survey.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Media coverage of Belgium's first criminal case concerning euthanasia for psychiatric patients: A content analysis of Flemish newspapers and magazines.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Concrete Experiences and Support Needs Regarding the Euthanasia Practice in Adults With Psychiatric Conditions: A Qualitative Interview Study Among Healthcare Professionals and Volunteers in Belgium.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- The engagement of psychiatrists in the assessment of euthanasia requests from psychiatric patients in Belgium: a survey study.BMC psychiatry · 2020Article
- Euthanasia in adults with psychiatric conditions: A descriptive study of the experiences of Belgian psychiatrists.Science progressArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAlthough the Belgian assessment pathway for legal euthanasia requires the engagement of at least one psychiatrist, little is known about psychiatrists' attitudes towards euthanasia for adults with psychiatric conditions (APC). This study aims to gauge psychiatrists' attitudes towards and readiness to engage in euthanasia assessment and/or performance procedures in APC.
methodsThis cross-sectional survey study was performed between November 2018 and April 2019. The survey was sent to a sample of 499 eligible psychiatrists affiliated to the Flemish Association for Psychiatry, a professional association that aims to unite and represent all psychiatrists working in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking, northern part of Belgium. The Association's members comprise an estimated 80-90% of all psychiatrists active in Flanders. Only psychiatrists working with APC (83% of the association's total membership) were included. Factorial Anova and Chi Square tests were performed to examine if and to what extent psychiatrists' backgrounds were associated with, respectively, their attitudes and their readiness to play a role in euthanasia procedures concerning APC.
resultsOne hundred eighty-four psychiatrists completed the questionnaire (response rate 40.2%); 74.5% agree that euthanasia should remain permissible for APC. However, 68.9% question some of the approaches taken by other physicians during the euthanasia assessment and only half consider euthanasia assessment procedures compatible with the psychiatric care relationship. Where active engagement is concerned, an informal referral (68%) or preliminary advisory role (43.8%) is preferred to a formal role as a legally required advising physician (30.3%), let alone as performing physician (< 10%).
conclusionAlthough three quarters agree with maintaining the legal option of euthanasia for APC, their readiness to take a formal role in euthanasia procedures appears to be limited. More insight is required into the barriers preventing engagement and what psychiatrists need, be it education or clarification of the legal requirements, to ensure that patients can have their euthanasia requests assessed adequately.
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Registered trials
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.