The wish to hasten death among ALS patients in a palliative care program

Aim: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) represents a major challenge to palliative neurological management, particularly as the characterics of the disease may provoke patients' wishes to hasten death. The study investigated the prevalence and determinants of the wish to hasten death in ALS patients and the views of their caregivers. Methods: The semi-quantitative questionnaire study included patients and their primary caregivers treated in an outpatient ALS clinic in Munich, Germany, between April 2005 and August 2006. Results: The study comprised a sample of 30 patient-caregiver-pairs. 31% of patients express…