Assisted dying practices for individuals living with frailty: prevalence and eligibility

Clicks: 7
ID: 327857
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Emerging

Ranked #47 of 51 articles by views in age and ageing

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Abstract Background Despite the high prevalence of frailty among individuals nearing the end of life, there is uncertainty around assisted dying practices (encompassing physician-assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia) in this population. Aim We aimed to 1) describe the prevalence of frailty among individuals accessing AD, and to describe whether frailty was the main condition or a comorbidity, and 2) where prevalence data are not available, determine whether individuals are likely to be eligible for AD on the basis of their frailty. Methods We reviewed publicly available statistics on AD usage and the relevant legal provision from jurisdictions where AD is regulated. Results Only Canada and the Netherlands report the prevalence of frailty among individuals accessing AD. In Canada, 9.07% of deaths by AD in 2023 were associated with frailty (either as a main condition or as a comorbidity). In the Netherlands, 3.85% of deaths by AD involved multiple geriatric syndromes in 2023. We identified 11 jurisdictions in which it would be unlikely for frailty to be an eligible condition to access AD, 6 jurisdictions where severe frailty meets or would be likely to meet eligibility criteria to access AD and 14 jurisdictions where it is unclear. Conclusion There is a lack of detailed reporting and ongoing ambiguity about eligibility of frailty in AD across many jurisdictions. These findings support the need for improved data reporting and clarity in regulation to provide more certainty to people living with frailty and their healthcare providers.
Reference Key
openalex_W7204200131 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Tommaso Squeri, Christina Luk, Simon Etkind, Annabel Price, Alex Ruck Keene, Sarah Hopkins
Journal age and ageing
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/ageing/afag275
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afag275
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.