A proposal for a shared care plan at the end of life: The Natural Death Protocol

Abstract

Over the last two-decade, major efforts have been underway to improve the standard of care at the end of life. Nevertheless, recent evidence has highlighted that many patients still receive overtreatment or inappropriate support to face dying in all its complexity. These scenarios may increase thoughts of death that often occur during the course of terminal illnesses requiring prompt and adequate interpretations and interventions. This suggests the need for a change in treating dying patients along with a clear understanding of the root causes of requests for euthanasia. In this regards, we propose a protocol for a shared end-of-life care plan aimed at ensuring a quality accompaniment toward natural death. It involves the patient and their family, as well as healthcare providers in a flexible work plan articulated in two phases concerning respectively pre-mortem and post-mortem actions. It offers a clear and systemic template for care in preparation for natural death, which takes into consideration healthcare duties and the patient as a person.