BACKGROUND Dying is inescapable yet remains a neglected issue in modern health care. The research question in this study was "what is going on in the field of dying today?" What emerged was to eventually present a grounded theory of control of dying focusing specifically on how people react in relation to issues about euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS). METHODS Classic grounded t...

BACKGROUND Russia's market reforms in the early 1990s led to marked social inequalities. We analysed inequalities in risks of dying for Russian men by occupational class and perceived social status in the post-transition era. METHODS Cox proportional analysis of the hazard of dying by occupational class, education, household income and perceived social status was performed for 593 deaths that...

Population ageing, in both the developed and developing world, has put increasing demands on health resources; this has brought to the fore various ethical issues related to ageing. This paper examines moral issues that confront people as they grow old as well as those who are involved with them. The concepts of autonomy, dignity, justice and intergenerational solidarity are explored. Living wi...

OBJECTIVE To determine the public's understanding of and views about a range of ethical issues in relation to death and dying. DESIGN Random, digit-dialing, telephone interview SETTING Ireland. PARTICIPANTS 667 adult individuals. RESULTS The general public are unfamiliar with terms associated with end-of-life care. Although most want to be informed if they have a terminal illness, they ...

Key features: Provides nurses with a clear understanding of the most common needs of the dying and supplies practical applications to facilitate and improve care Clarifies the current and often complex literature on care of the dying Includes case studies illustrating the most common needs of dying patients and how these are addressed effectively by the CARES tool Based on extensive evidence as...

The first article in this series explored epidemiology and patterns of pain in advanced disease, non-pharmacological treatments, and the use of opioids to manage pain. This second article examines the use of non-opioid drugs and anaesthetic interventions for pain relief in advanced disease. It also discusses an approach to managing analgesia in dying patients and finally looks at future develop...