Doctors call for rethink on ‘over medicalisation’ of death
An international panel has called for changes to how death is viewed especially in light of the extremes of dying seen in the pandemic
Death has been “overmedicalised” and needs a different approach, according to a group of international experts, who say COVID-19 has shed a harsh spotlight on care for the dying.
Millions around the globe are suffering unnecessarily at the end of their lives due to the culture in wealthy nations of healthcare workers seeking to prolong life, rather than support death, the panel says.
At the same time, around half of people globally die without any palliative care or pain relief, particularly in lower-income countries, points out The Lancet-convened panel.
The Commission on the Value of Death — that involves patients, community experts, philosophers and theologians, as well as medical and social care experts — is calling for change.
