Our Attitude to Patients during the Last 72 Hours of their Life

Overview

The place where the patient spends the last tens of hours of his life and the way he is treatedare frequently a source of dissatisfaction and disappointment. In the introduction of the articlethe authors summarize the conditions under which the patient should spend this time. Nextattention is paid to the most frequently refused operations. The general atmosphere of care ofthe dying in family surroundings is analyzed and compared with conditions in other countries.The authors analyze in more detail the different approach to the dying patient in acute healthfacilities as compared with social care institutes. From the aspect of dying in the homeenvironment factors are mentioned which most frequently lead to the originally unwantedhospitalization of the dying patient. In the subsequent part attention is devoted to legal aspectsof decision to terminate causal treatment and to administer larger doses of opioids. Finally theauthors describe the case-history of a patient with generalized bronchogenic carcinoma.

Key words:
palliative care - dying - opioids - refusal of operation - hospice home car.