In Holland, Doctors Make The Decision To Withhold Treatment For Elderly
Monday, April 20, 2015 - 19:00
in Health & Medicine
In America, the saying used to be 'my doctor should decide my medical treatment, not an insurance company'. In Netherlands, Dutch doctors do decide, including whether to withhold or withdraw treatment in a substantial proportion of elderly patients. End of life decisions are not made by patients or their families.Why? It is not ageism, according to a survey in the Journal of Medical Ethics. It may be financial, since long-term care is paid for by the government, but survey respondents say they deny treatment out of respect for patients. Most commonly that means denying simple food and fluids. read more