Position Statement

In this regard, palliative sedation is often used to characterise the sedation of a patient to relieve distress in the context of palliative care where neither the inducement of unconsciousness nor the hastening of death is the intent of the practice. It is typically contrasted with terminal sedation which does, or can, mean the use of sedation in the context of bringing about unconsciousness with the aim of provoking an early death (a covert form of euthanasia). However, other terms are sometimes used to describe both palliative and terminal sedation and the lack of agreement between definitions complicates ethical analysis.