Responding to Patient Requests for Hastened Death: Physician Aid in Dying and the Clinical Oncologist

J Oncol Pract. 2017 Oct;13(10):693-699. doi: 10.1200/JOP.2016.019299. Epub 2017 Sep 15.

Abstract

Physician aid in dying (PAD) or assisted suicide is becoming legal in more US jurisdictions. Meanwhile, the needs of terminally ill patients with cancer are receiving greater attention, including the integration of palliative care into oncology practice. This article highlights a case vignette of a patient with advanced cancer who requests PAD from her oncologist, as a backdrop to help the practicing oncologist examine his or her moral stance regarding participation in aid in dying. The article concludes by offering a framework within which the practicing oncologist can receive and process a patient's request for PAD.

MeSH terms

  • Attitude of Health Personnel
  • Beneficence
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Oncologists*
  • Palliative Care
  • Patient Preference
  • Personal Autonomy
  • Physician's Role
  • Physician-Patient Relations*
  • Suicide, Assisted* / ethics
  • Suicide, Assisted* / legislation & jurisprudence
  • Terminally Ill
  • United States