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- Page navigation anchor for RE: Leo died the other dayRE: Leo died the other day
I sympathize with the author's heartfelt sadness at Leo's final hours. However, I respectfully disagree with her conclusion. The emotionally charged story of Leo should lead us to better suicide prevention, not to discussing MAiD "pre-emptively." .
Competing Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for RE: Leo Died the Other DayRE: Leo Died the Other Day
Dr Susan McDonald relates the sad and emotionally charged situation of her quiet and reclusive patient with advanced incurable cancer requiring hydromorphone, taking an overdose. He ended up with an undignified failed resuscitation in an ER surrounded by a host of ER staff who would have been strangers to him. Losing a patient to suicide is a very traumatic situation to all concerned with the patient, not least to the doctors involved in their care. I sympathize with Dr McDonald as she would be sharing in this grief along with the family.
A regret that I sometimes have in patients with a poor medical prognosis, for whatever diagnosis, is that Advanced Directives had not been timeously discussed with respect to an expected natural death at home or to their feelings about resuscitation. Should a patient of sound mind elect not to be resuscitated (DNR), then this would need to be respected even with a suicide. I realize that this can sometimes raise ethical issues for which legal counsel may be required in certain cases, but a DNR will also enable a more peaceful death. When a natural death does not seem imminent discussions of this nature are often, unfortunately, postponed.
Competing Interests: None declared.