Zorg en besluitvorming rond het levenseinde: opvattingen en ervaringen van het algemene publiek, nabestaanden en professionals.

End-of-life care aims to improve quality of life of patients and their relatives facing problems associated with life-threatening illness in the last days of life. End-of-life decision-making is an important aspect of end-of-life care and is known to occur frequently (in 23-51% of all deaths in Europe). End-of-life decisions are subject to societal debate and better understanding of current public opinion on end-of-life decisions can strengthen the societal debate in the Netherlands. Furthermore, end-of-life decision-making regarding artificial nutrition and hydration at the end of life is internationally shared to be important and better understanding can contribute to better end-of-life care. Therefore, the aim of this PhD-thesis is to contribute to better understanding of end-of-life decision-making practices and addresses two topics: 1) public opinions on end-of-life decision-making in the Netherlands, and 2) (artificial) nutrition and hydration at the end of life. (aut.ref.)