Resumen de "Para estar así no merece la pena vivir": ¿puede llegar a ser el inicio de una demanda real de eutanasia?

Ana Martínez Fernández, Daniel Solano López

• español

  El objetivo es analizar si la expresión �para estar así no merece la pena vivir�, incorporada a la historia clínica durante el seguimiento, es una demanda real de eutanasia. El estudio empleó el método cualitativo denominado investigación-acción-participante a través de la técnica de observación, complementado por un mecanismo cuantitativo distributivo para poder medir los comportamientos observados de los pacientes atendidos por el 2º Equipo de Atención Domiciliaria del Área Sanitaria V de Madrid, asistiéndoles hasta su fallecimiento. El nivel cognitivo se evaluó según escala de la Cruz Roja y la capacidad según escala móvil de Drane. Una ambigua o manifiesta petición de eutanasia conviene descifrarla correctamente para poder deliberar sobre un tema complejo, evitando fisuras y manipulaciones.

• English

  Background and objective: In the medical history of 126 terminally cáncer patients, one of the data that was registered was if they said the following sentence: "To be like this it's not worth living" Method: Patients were looked after by the 2nd Homecare Team of the 5th Healthcare Área ¡n Madrid. All of them were visited at least twice and received medical assistance till their demise. This study was based on a qualitative method named "Research-Action-Partici-pant" through an observation technique. Cognitive levéis were assessed by means of the Red Cross Scale. Their capabilities were also ascertained by using the Competence Assessing Mobile Scale after Drane. Statistics were descriptive, and when needed for variable comparison purposes, Chi square Test was used.

  Results: 89% knew or suspected their prognosis, 7% expressed their feelings with the pre-vious sentence and only 1 patient specifically asked to speed up the final end; there being no significan! difference between those who knew or did not know their prognosis and kept it quiet throughout.

  Conclusions: An evasive or strong desire for demanding euthanasia must be examined in detail, however, in order to act correctly thus avoiding fissures and manipulation.