Independent research needed to inform end-of-life policy choices

摘要

In their CMAJ editorial, Flegel and Fletcher call for a national dialogue on end-of-life care, arguing that policy change should not be the result of a single court decision. In Canada, different medical end-of-life practices, such as treatment withdrawal, use of medication justified by symptom management and use of lethal drugs are being debated. Concerns about the effects of policies are central to the Canadian debate, and international evidence is quoted by proponents and opponents of legislative reforms.