[Request for and practice of assisted suicide-results of a survey among members of the German association for palliative medicine].

BACKGROUND

There are hardly any data available on requests for and performance of assisted suicide in Germany. This study aims to describe requests for assisted suicide in the context of German palliative care, how the requests are handled, and under which conditions assisted suicide is performed.

METHOD: Online survey (October 2023 to January 2024) among all members of the German Association for Palliative Medicine (n = 5667). Questionnaire development based on literature research and piloting with experts. Quantitative data analysis with IBM SPSS Statistics©. Qualitative data analysis with MAXQDA©.

RESULTS

The view rate was 434/2585 (16.8%), the participation rate was 337/434 (77.6%), and the completion rate was 272/337 (80.7%); n = 321 datasets were analyzed. Of the participants, 58.9% (189/321) have received specific requests for assisted suicide since 2020. In 93.8% (210/224), the suicidal person suffered from an illness, predominantly cancer (111/210; 52.9%). The most common reason for a suicide wish was loss of autonomy (153/224; 68.3%). Participants tended not to or did not agree at all with the following statements: in 23.6% (52/220), the suicidal person was informed about support options; in 26.8% (59/220), the suicide wish was firm and deliberate. Structured assessment of suicide wishes was performed in 52.5% (114/217). Assessment of free responsibility and assistance was carried out by the same person in 4/10 cases of assisted suicide.

CONCLUSION

Most participants have received specific requests for assisted suicide since 2020. In many respects, participants dealt with requests competently. In some cases, participants found that free responsibility was impaired. Suicide wishes should be assessed in a structured way without exception. Standards and training are necessary to ensure that requests for assisted suicide are handled professionally.