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The number of people with dementia in Switzerland is currently around 150,000. The prevalence of this condition rises steeply after the age of 65. As a result of demographic changes, the number of people affected in Switzerland is thus expected to increase markedly over the coming decades. The course of dementia – which frequently occurs in combination with chronic somatic and/or mental disorders (multimorbidity) – is often protracted and is difficult to predict. Cognitive impairments mean that self-determination and alleviation of symptoms are more difficult to achieve in everyday practice. People with severe dementia generally lack capacity, and decisions then have to be made by representatives on the basis of the patient’s previously expressed or presumed wishes. The management and care of patients may be complicated by disease-related behavioural disturbances. The public, as well as the individuals affected, are fearful of the loss of independence and possible changes in personality associated with progressive dementia; in addition, people are often afraid of becoming a burden on their relatives or society. Against this background, difficult decisions and significant ethical conflicts are not unusual – all the more so since life with dementia runs counter to guiding values, such as independence, productivity and rationality, which are central to our society. The aim of these guidelines is to offer practical guidance for dealing with ethical conflict situations relating to the care and treatment of people with dementia. Specific issues are addressed which may ultimately arise for all those involved in dementia care, irrespective of the setting (domestic, hospital, residential) and professional group. Which of these ethical issues is the most salient will depend largely on the stage of the condition. Once the condition has been diagnosed, management should be based on the principles that are also applicable, for example, in palliative care: a focus on quality of life, equality of care, interprofessional collaboration and continuity, open and appropriate communication, support for decision-making processes, anticipation, a multidimensional approach, and involvement of those close to the patient. These guidelines were prepared in cooperation with the Swiss Society of Gerontology (SGG SSG) as part of the National Dementia Strategy 2014–2019 (subproject 5.1: “Establishment of ethical guidelines”).

Frequent emergencies in patients with dementia include aggressiveness, screaming, day/night reversal, other behavioral disorders, and falls. They are often caused by delirium, especially if there has been a rapid change in the patient's state of health. Hypoactive delirium in particular is difficult to recognize in the dementia setting. Acute somatic diseases bear a different meaning in dementia than in non-dementia patients, and priorities must be given to the impaired cerebral performance. In addition to medical decisions, ethical ones need to be made. Special attention should be paid to the resources of the caregiver network. This article describes both non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatment modalities when dealing with emergencies in dementia patients.

This study gives a general view of 40 cases of killing series by members of staff in health care professions in hospitals and homes. The main issue of the analyses are the nine killing series in the German language area. For the investigation legal documents concerning specific characteristics of victims, site of crime and offenders were evaluated. The respective fields of work were investigated concerning the working climate, the position of the offenders in their working group, conflicts in the work place and the handling of the first intern hints to suspective behaviour. It is derives from the case-by-case analyses if there are any preliminary warnings and if there are any commonalities with regard to the victims, the offenders and the respective fields of activity. Personal sensitivities, working conditions and permanent confrontation with human sufferings can be interlaced with each other in that way that the superficial motivation to help is abysmally reversed. In this repect a term of compassion, which confounds real sympathy and self-pity, is essential., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

In January 2006 the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), a large university hospital in Lausanne, Switzerland, became the first hospital in Switzerland to allow assisted suicide (AS) in exceptional cases within its walls. However, euthanasia is illegal. This decision has posed several ethical and practical dilemmas for the hospital's palliative care consult service. To address these, the team embarked on a formal process of open dialogue amongst its members with the goal of identifying a collective response and position. This process involved meetings every 4 to 6 weeks over the course of 10 months. An iterative process unfolded. One of the principal dilemmas relates to finding a balance between the team's position against AS and the patient's autonomy and the institution's directive. Although all team members expressed opposition to AS, there were mixed opinions as to whether or not the team members should be present during the act if requested so by patients. Some thought this could be misinterpreted as complicity in the act and could send out mixed messages to the public and other health professionals about palliative care. Others felt that the team's commitment to nonabandonment obliged them to be present even if they did not provide the drug or give any advice or assistance. The implications of nonabandonment are explored, as are several other questions such as whether or not the teams are obliged to provide detailed information on AS when requested by patients.

Broad evidence exists that health care professionals are facing ethical difficulties in patient care demanding a spectrum of useful ethics support services. Clinical ethics consultation is one of these forms of ethics support being effective in the acute setting. An authentic case is presented as an illustration. We introduce an integrative model covering the activities being characteristic for ethics consultation and going beyond "school"-specific approaches. Finally, we formulate some do's and don'ts of ethics consultation that are considered to be key issues for successful practice.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of an intervention on the understanding and use of DNR orders by physicians; to assess the impact of understanding the importance of involving competent patients in DNR decisions., Design: Prospective clinical interventional study., Setting: Internal medicine department (70 beds) of the hospital of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland., Participants: Nine junior physicians in postgraduate training., Intervention: Information on the ethics of DNR and implementation of new DNR orders., Measurements and Main Results: Accurate understanding, interpretation, and use of DNR orders, especially with respect to the patients' involvement in the decision were measured. Junior doctors writing DNR orders had an extremely poor understanding of what DNR orders mean. The correct understanding of the definition of a DNR order increased from 31 to 93% (p<0.01) after the intervention and the patients' involvement went from 17% to 48% (p<0.01). Physicians estimated that 75% of their DNR patients were mentally competent at the time of the decision., Conclusion: An intervention aimed at explaining the ethical principles and the definition of DNR orders improves understanding of them, and their implementation, as well as patient participation. Specific efforts are needed to increase the involvement of mentally competent patients in the decision.