Dying with dignity

Over the last decade end-of-life care has made a transition from a passive to an active discipline in order to allow patients a dignified death. The patient's last days and eventual death can have a profound effect on the patient, his/her family and those involved in his/her healthcare. To this end, it is crucial that doctors understand the ethical and moral concepts surrounding this topic. In this chapter, these ethically and emotionally charged issues are discussed in the context of the four bioethics principles and the context of the healthcare team. This topic is so important because it potentially affects every single patient who dies of a neurosurgical condition, so two commentators have contributed chapters on this subject (the other is Chap. 8).