Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List

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Getting help of Euthanasia

Options available to patients living with a terminal or serious and progressive illness include:

Palliative care:

Palliative care is ‘treatment of symptoms where cure is no longer considered an option’ (7); in other words, the patient is dying. It focuses on controlling pain and other symptoms, improving quality of life for the patient and their family, and social, emotional and spiritual needs. Hospices, good medical and nursing care, company, therapy and counselling can all help terminally ill patients. It is argued that if the patient is comfortable, has company, and is not experiencing suffering or pain, they are less likely to consider the route of euthanasia (8).

Refusing treatment:

A patient is not under any legal obligation to accept treatment recommended by a doctor or other healthcare professional. They may refuse treatment at any time, provided they have been properly informed of the consequences and they are ‘of sound mind’.

The Department of Health guidelines state that:

“Competent adult patients are entitled to refuse treatment, even where it would clearly benefit their health”(9).

In other words, you have the right to refuse or stop treatment at any time, even if this means that you may die. The exceptions to this rule are patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 and children under 18. (Please see ‘Consent to treatment’).

Department of Health guidelines state that no one can give consent on behalf of an incompetent adult (for example, a patient who is in a coma). However, healthcare professionals take into account the patient’s best interests when deciding on treatment. These ‘best interests’ are based on:

  • the wishes of the patient when they were competent;
  • the patient’s general well-being; and 
  • their spiritual and religious welfare (9).

If a patient is declared clinically brain dead, the decision may be taken to turn off their life support machine. This will be discussed with the patient’s family, but the ultimate decision rests with the consultant. Strict criteria must be met when declaring a patient clinically brain dead (10).

Advance directive (or ‘living will’):

If you are worried that you may not be able to make your wishes known in the later stages of an illness you may wish to draw up a written document called an advance directive or ‘living will’. In this document you can state what you want to happen if you become too ill to decline or consent to medical treatment. An example of this is if you were previously resuscitated in hospital but do not want to be resuscitated again.

An advance directive is legally binding in the UK and will be respected by healthcare professionals. It is recommended that you inform your GP and your next of kin if you make an advance directive, as they may be the first point of contact if you require medical attention.