Table 1.

Definitions

Withholding treatment	Decision made not to start or increase a life-sustaining intervention
Withdrawing treatment	Decision that was made to actively stop a life-sustaining intervention presently being given
Active shortening of the dying process	Circumstance in which someone performes an act with the specific intent of shortening the dying process
Palliative care	Specialized medical care for people with a serious illness focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of the illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patients and their families
End-of-life care	End-of-life care includes the decision-making as to the limitation of life-sustaining therapies and the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual support for patients and their families
Advanced directives	A legal document that states a person’s wishes about receiving medical care if that person is no longer able to make medical decisions; it may also give a person (such as a spouse, relative, or friend) the authority to make medical decisions for another person when that person can no longer make decisions (power of attorney)
Conflict	Dispute, disagreement, incompatibility, opposition, or difference of opinion involving more than one individual and related to the patient's management or to interpersonal conflict
Appropriate care	A patient care that is proportional to the expected survival and quality of life of the patient and in line with the patient's and relatives’ values
Burnout	A psychological syndrome arising in response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors on the job and is characterized by three different features: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and lack of personal and professional completion
Decision-making	A stepwise practice of gathering and interpreting information, weighing different options, and ultimately taking a (shared) evidence-based and personalized decision