Suicide and the Hospice Patient

Abstract

Articles about euthanasia and rational suicide intrude almost weekly upon the general and professional public, as frustrated family and professional caregivers make right-to-die decisions for patients and implement them unilaterally. One cannot assume that these issues would disappear if there were greater hospice involvement and support for those patients and families. However, one can accept responsibility for the quality of care provided and offer guidelines for the staff directly giving care. This paper describes the guidelines developed by one hospice for working with patients who express a suicide wish or attempt suicide.