The European journal of general practice
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Comparative Study
Do German general practitioners support euthanasia? Results of a nation-wide questionnaire survey.
To learn more about the attitudes of German general practitioners (GPs) concerning euthanasia and the frequency of its performance in Germany. ⋯ The majority of German GPs reject active euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS). Nonetheless, requests for and performance of euthanasia do not seem to be a rare occurrence. Only a small proportion of respondents are willing to perform euthanasia at a patient's request under the current legislation which make these acts illegal in Germany. German history seems to play only a minor role in shaping respondents' attitudes towards active euthanasia or PAS.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Retrospective evaluation of palliative care in Romania: the perspective of the involved professionals.
Palliative care at home is a new service provision in Romania. This study evaluated retrospectively, after the patient's death, the provision of care at home from the perspective of professionals directly involved in the care process. The evaluation included assessment of the role of the professional, the functioning of the team, communication with patients and family, and overall judgment. The study is part of the development of palliative care at home, by multidisciplinary teams in Romania. ⋯ The patients who received palliative care and died, were treated well according to the professionals who evaluated the care process. Improvement of palliative care services at home may be achieved by provision of additional information on (acute) complications. Since palliative care at home is a new phenomenon in Romania, professionals working closely with the patient have to learn to cope with the emotional burden certain cases may include.
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Comparative Study
Management of acute cough: comparisons between Belgian and Dutch GPs.
In Europe there are large variations in overall outpatient antibiotic use, even between two neighbouring countries as Belgium and the Netherlands. We aimed to compare the management of acute cough between Belgian and Dutch general practitioners (GPs). ⋯ Antibiotic prescription rates for adult patients with acute cough were not significantly higher in Belgian than in Dutch general practice at the 5% significance level. Dutch GPs' antibiotic prescriptions were more in line with national guidelines. Bronchodilator prescription rates were similar. Because Dutch GPs probably encountered more severe cases of acute cough compared with their Belgian colleagues, the observed prescribing differences might be underestimated.