Death, Dying, Hospice and Palliation

One of the fundamental goals of pain control is to prevent or relieve suffering. This is especially important at the end of life. The pressing issue of legislation on physician-assisted suicide underscores the great need that exists for research in these areas.

Those of us in the pain field react strongly to the contention that unbearable pain constitutes grounds for physician-assisted suicide. Skilled pain management can eliminate or significantly reduce almost all pain, and euthanasia should never provide a substitute for inadequate pain management or unskilled palliative care at the end of life.

I hope the following links will both inform and help inspire studies on these topics. Several sites address physician-assisted suicide, and I list them without bias even though I do not agree with some perspectives. I recommend that you start with the Project on Death in America.

DISCLAIMER: My listing a link below does not imply that I, the University of Utah, or the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center endorse it, its mission, or the person or organization behind it. These links are here for informational purposes only.