ABSTRACT
This chapter also discusses factors within the physician-patient relationship that impact decisions about aid in dying and hastened death, these issues are also pertinent to relationships between patients and other health professionals. The broader concerns surrounding hastened death include the limitations of clinician training and skills in care of seriously ill and dying patients, limited access to specialized palliative care services, and the emotional stress experienced by those caring for dying patients. Decisions about aid in dying present a number of challenges to clinicians. While the issue has been debated on ethical, legal, and moral grounds, the clinical issues and in particular the psychodynamic issues have been given less attention. The relationship between patient and health-care professional is a critical element of the clinical context. It is the vehicle by which discussions around emotionally significant issues occur, and it is the conduit of communication about the development and outcome of illness.
