Four out of five Swiss support palliative care
Most Swiss are in favour of palliative care being made available to terminally ill and dying people, a study by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) has found.
Last year, more than 80% of participants indicated that they had thought about the way in which they would like their lives to end, according to the study published on Wednesday. The survey analysed the attitudes towards palliative care among the Swiss population with the help of a questionnaire.
More than two thirds of respondents said they had already concretely thought about the type of treatment and care they would like to receive at the end of their lives.
+ Too old, tired or ill to live
Half of all respondents believed it was important to address these topic at an early stage, when they still felt healthy. Some 8% of respondents had already spoken to health professionals about their treatment plan wishes.
The study also examined how well-known the term “palliative care” was among the Swiss. It found that the percentage of people who have heard of the term rose from 48% to 59% compared to data collected nine years ago. Some 1,685 interviews were conducted for the study.
A similar survey was conducted by the FOPH in 2009.
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