Advance directives for euthanasia in dementia: do law-based opportunities lead to more euthanasia?
Although the enactment of the Dutch euthanasia law in theory provided a window of opportunity for euthanasia in incompetent patients with dementia and an ADE, it has not led to obvious changes in compliance with ADEs of this patient group in practice. Crucial in the reticent attitudes of ECPs appears to be the impossibility of patient-physician communication. This raises questions on the feasibility of the law on this point. In our opinion, the role of ADEs in end-of-life care of patients with advanced dementia in the Netherlands deserves serious reconsideration.
Approximately one third of athletes participating in an international athletics championship and involved in this study reported an injury complaint during the month before the championships. This represented a risk factor to suffer a new injury during the championship. This study highlights the potential importance of a pre-participation health questionnaire as a screening tool to identify athletes at risk of injury before international athletics championships.