ABSTRACT
Improving care of persons as they near the end of life is receiving more attention than ever from the medical profession. The debate on assisted suicide and euthanasia has focused both medical and public attention on dying. Whereas death has often been viewed as an enemy to be fought and abhorred at all costs, a more realistic acceptance of its inevitability has led many health care providers and professionals to acknowledge a need for more information to improve care for patients who are terminally ill.
