Impact of an Early Palliative Approach

In 2003, MAHO study (Ferrand E, Jabre P, Vincent-Genod C, et al. Circumstances of death in hospitalized patients and nurses' perceptions: French multicenter Mort-a-l'Hôpital survey. Arch Intern Med. 2008 168: 867-875.) evaluated the way 3793 patients died in 200 French hospitals and showed that their conditions of death were not optimal. The 22th April 2005 French Law precised patient's end of life rights with necessity to refrain from any unreasonable obstinacy, the right to refuse treatments and the obligation of a collegial process decision when the patient is not conscious. Since then, studies haven't demonstrate any improvement and found that palliative strategy in France is much less used than in other developed countries.