Morphine prescription in end-of-life care and euthanasia: French home nurses’ opinions

Authors

  • Marc Karim Bendiane, PhDc
  • Anne-Deborah Bouhnik, PhDc
  • Roger Favre, PhD
  • Anne Galinier, MD
  • Yolande Obadia, MD
  • Jean-Paul Moatti, PhD
  • Patrick Peretti-Watel, PhD

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/jom.2007.0035

Keywords:

morphine, euthanasia, end of life, France

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate factors that might lead French homecare nurses to consider the pre-scription of high-dose morphine to terminally ill patients to be euthanasia.
Methods: The researchers conducted an anonymous telephone survey among a random sample of602 French homecare nurses (response rate = 75percent) in 2005.
Results: Overall, 27percent of responding home nurses considered prescribing high-dose morphine to terminally ill patients to be euthanasia. Such an opinion was more frequently held by older nurses, those who had not followed terminally ill patients during the previous three years, and those with less knowledge about pain management involving opioid analgesics.
Conclusion: There is an urgent need to strengthen pain management education among French homecare nurses—especially regarding the use of morphine—in order to both improve their technical skills and correct some misconceptions about opioid analgesics.

Author Biographies

Marc Karim Bendiane, PhDc

Southeastern Health Regional Observatory (ORS-PACA), Marseilles, France; INSERM UMR3 79 (Health and Medical Research National Institute), “Social Sciences Applied to Medical Innovation,” Institut Paoli Calmettes, Marseille, France.

Anne-Deborah Bouhnik, PhDc

Southeastern Health Regional Observatory (ORS-PACA), Marseilles, France; INSERM UMR3 79 (Health and Medical Research National Institute), “Social Sciences Applied to Medical Innovation,” Institut Paoli Calmettes, Marseille, France.

Roger Favre, PhD

Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Marseille, Service of Medical Oncology, Marseille, France.

Anne Galinier, MD

Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille (Public Care in Marseille’s Hospitals), Department of Penitentiary Care, Marseille, France.

Yolande Obadia, MD

Southeastern Health Regional Observatory (ORS-PACA), Marseilles, France; INSERM UMR379 (Health and Medical Research National Institute), “Social Sciences Applied to Medical Innovation, ” Institut Paoli Calmettes, Marseille, France.

Jean-Paul Moatti, PhD

INSERM UMR379 (Health and Medical Research National Institute), “Social Sciences Applied to Medical Innovation, ” Institut Paoli Calmettes, Marseille, France; Department of Economics, University of Aix-Marseille II, France.

Patrick Peretti-Watel, PhD

Southeastern Health Regional Observatory (ORS-PACA), Marseilles, France; INSERM UMR379 (Health and Medical Research National Institute), “Social Sciences Applied to Medical Innovation, ” Institut Paoli Calmettes, Marseille, France.

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Published

01/01/2007

How to Cite

Bendiane, PhDc, M. K., A.-D. Bouhnik, PhDc, R. Favre, PhD, A. Galinier, MD, Y. Obadia, MD, J.-P. Moatti, PhD, and P. Peretti-Watel, PhD. “Morphine Prescription in End-of-Life Care and Euthanasia: French Home nurses’ Opinions”. Journal of Opioid Management, vol. 3, no. 1, Jan. 2007, pp. 21-26, doi:10.5055/jom.2007.0035.