![]() ![]() Such practices may not always be compliant with legal and professional regulations to promote transparency and patient-centred care at the end of life. Occasionally, morphine is deliberately used in higher dosages than needed with the aim of hastening death. Physicians take more often than necessary into account that morphine potentially hastens death. Morphine is frequently used at the end of life. Research is clear that, when morphine is used under proper medical guidance, such as that of a hospice team, it doesn’t cause or hasten death. Possible hastening of death as a result of the administration of morphine was not always discussed with the patient, his family or other caregivers in 20% of the cases, it had not been discussed with anyone. In 2.1% of the patients, the physician indicated that the dosage was higher than needed to alleviate symptoms. Lowe says that we often meet patients and family members who associate morphine with death or hastening death. Hastening of death had been part of the purpose of administering morphine in 2.9% of the patients and the explicit purpose in 1.2%. Research is clear that, when morphine is used under proper medical guidance, such as that of a hospice team, it doesn’t cause or hasten death.1-5 Unfortunately, fears such as Sandra’s are common. In 82%, the dosage was not or only gradually increased during the last 3 days of life. In 64% of the patients, the physician took into account that the use of morphine might hasten death. On the last day of life, 60% of all deceased patients received morphine. Physicians were asked to fill out a questionnaire on medical decisions and care that had preceded death. ![]() We explored the most important characteristics of use of morphine at the end of life.Ī stratified sample was drawn of death cases that occurred in the Netherlands in 2010. Intensive use of morphine at the end of life sometimes seems to represent a grey area between active ending of life and regular alleviation of symptoms. ![]()
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