End-of-Life Decision Making in Europe and Australia

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Abstract
It is known that end-of-life decisions (ELDs) are part of medical practice everywhere, albeit with different frequencies in different countries.1-8 Several studies2,9-18 have aimed to detect factors associated with attitudes toward ELDs and the decision of whether to make an ELD. Determinants of ELDs have been found to include particular clinical situations (such as terminal illness), unbearable pain and suffering, lack of decisional capacity, a patient's request,2,11,16-18 and physician characteristics, including sex, age, religion, and specialty.10-14 However, direct comparisons of results between countries are difficult because the methods used were not sufficiently similar, and most studies were restricted to particular specialties or a specific ELD.