Palliative care as a human right in Europe

Despite the development of palliative care at the European level, citizens remain highly concerned about the quality of care provided at the end of life. Palliative care needs vary from country to country. A primarily narrative review was undertaken with the aim of documenting the current status and outlining the development trends in the field of palliative care across various European countries, as well as its relationship to fundamental human rights. Nineteen European countries were studied across three areas: the provision of palliative care services, access to analgesic treatments, and the management of end-of-life practices. In summary, it was found that access to palliative care is generally universal across nearly all countries studied, though there is unequal distribution depending on the patients’ specific conditions. Inequalities also exist in terms of geographical distribution, and only a few countries have palliative care programs for pediatric patients. Most deaths occur in hospital or hospice settings in all studied countries, despite patients’ preferences to the contrary. There was insufficient management of chronic pain using opioid medications, especially in Eastern European countries. Finally, in the area of euthanasia and assisted suicide, there is no unified strategy across Europe. This review is narrative in nature and is not intended for analytical synthesis. However, it provides a comprehensive foundation for understanding the current state of palliative care across Europe.