Table 2 Life-ending drug use in general practice without patient's explicit request - aggregated (n = 13)

Age at death

1-64 years

3

65-79 years

6

≥ 80 years

4

Sex

Male

8

Female

5

Educational level*

Elementary or lower

2

Lower secondary

6

Higher secondary or more

4

Community of Belgium

Dutch community

6

French community

7

Fixed partner at time of death

Yes

6

No

7

Place of death

Home

8

Care home

5

Symptom burden in the last week of life (MSAS-GDI) †

Physical symptoms

Lack of energy

12 (6)

Pain

9 (5)

Dry mouth

8 (5)

Difficulty breathing

8 (4)

Feeling drowsy

10 (3)

Constipation

7 (2)

Lack of appetite

11 (1)

Psychological symptoms

Feeling sad

7 (5)

Feeling nervous

9 (4)

Worrying

6 (4)

Feeling irritable

5 (3)

End-of-life care provision

Patient-GP encounters

In last week of life (range)

1-15

In last 3 months of life (range)

6-42

Clinical specialist involved in care in last 3 months of life

None

4

Sometimes or often

9

Informal care over last 3 months of life

None

1

Sometimes or often

12

Treatment goal over last 3 months of life

Comfort/palliation

5

Transition to comfort/palliation

8

Consideration of curative or life-prolonging treatments by GP ‡

Not possible anymore

7

Still possible but not applied

6

   Physician deemed chance for improvement too small

4

   Physician wanted to end further suffering

4

   Patient refused treatment (verbally or non-verbally)

2

   Proxies wanted to end further suffering

1

   Proxies were psychologically and physically exhausted

1

Consideration of alternative palliative treatments by GP ‡

Not possible anymore

10

Still possible but not applied

3

   Physician did not want to prolong patient's life

1

   Physician wanted to end further suffering

2

   Patient refused treatment

1

Multidisciplinary palliative home care team involved in last three months of life

Yes

4

No

9