Euthanasia and palliative care go hand in hand

Seven out of ten people who were euthanised in 2013, also received support from a palliative care team. This figure is higher than those who, in the same period, died not through euthanisia but in fact naturally. In the latter group, only 42.5% of those who died received some form of palliative care. This is according to the findings of a university study, reported upon by De Standaard and Het Nieuwsblad on Monday.

The team of end-of-life care researchers from the VUB (the Flemish-speaking Free University of Brussels) and the UGent (the University of Ghent) analysed a sample of 3,751 deaths in 2013.

It emerges, from the study, that the palliative care teams were involved in the decision-taking and/or the execution relating to the death for nearly six out of ten people who opted for euthanasia.


The Brussels Times


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