Abstract
One of the most important components of a peaceful death is adequate control of pain and other distressing symptoms, such as dyspnea, agitation, and restlessness. Pain is an important symptom in 75 to 80% of noncancer patients in the last year of life. Opioid analgesics are often the mainstay of pain treatment for dying patients. A primary care physician also needs to know about anesthetic and neurosurgical approaches, the use of cognitive, behavioral approaches, and the availability of specialized pain experts. A sizeable minority of physicians receive requests for an assisted death, which should be seen as a cry for help. The most useful function of advance directives is that they open an avenue for discussion between the doctor and the patient about a difficult subject.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 32-42 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Geriatrics |
Volume | 51 |
Issue number | 6 |
State | Published - Jun 1996 |