[New Act concerning end of life: Impact for medical practice?]

[New Act concerning end of life: Impact for medical practice?] Presse Med. 2016 Mar 21; Authors: Devalois B, Puybasset L Abstract New French 2016' Act recognizes 3 new rights for patients at the end of their life: right to dead without futilities, right to have their wishes respected and right to be comfortable in all circumstances. Medical acts must not be continued in an unreasonable way. Futility is defined by useless, disproportionate or without another aim that an artificial life sustaining acts. For patients who cannot tell their wishes, a withdrawing or withholding decision of life sustaining treatments can be taken with a collegiate process. Doctors must always care about patient comfort with palliative care. Artificial hydration and nutrition can be considered as futile. Patients can write advanced directives or design confidence person to attest their wishes if they should be unable to do it. Doctors must respect advanced directives, except in emergency cases or if there are inappropriate. In such cases, the decision not to respect advanced directives must be taken collegially. Sedation is a therapeutic solution to alleviate refractory suffering for patients at the end of life, even if there is a risk to shorten their life, if the aim is to make patient comfortable and if it is the only way to achieve this goal. A specific right to deep and continuous sedation until death is created, only for patients with a short life pro...
Source: Presse Medicale - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Tags: Presse Med Source Type: research