No ethical consensus has yet been reached, underlining the need for clear(er) policies. More research is thus recommended to determine ethical and practical viability of surveillance technologies whereby research should be specifically focused on the resident perspective.

The first national guideline on palliative sedation in The Netherlands has been adopted by the General Board of the Royal Dutch Medical Association. By law, the physician is obliged to take this guideline into consideration. In this paper, we present the main principles of the guideline. Palliative sedation is defined as the intentional lowering of consciousness of a patient in the last phase of his or her life. The aim of palliative sedation is to relieve suffering, and lowering consciousness is a means to achieve this. The indication for palliative sedation is the presence of one or more refractory symptoms that lead to unbearable suffering for the patient. Palliative sedation is given to improve patient comfort. It is the degree of symptom control, not the level to which consciousness is lowered, which determines the dose and the combinations of the sedatives used and duration of treatment. Palliative sedation is normal medical practice and must be clearly distinguished from the termination of life.

Background: Many patients are dissatisfied with the way in which their complaints about health care are dealt with. This study tested the assumption that this dissatisfaction consists -in part at least -of unmet expectations.

Background A video and medical data recorder in the operating theatre is possible, but concerns over privacy, data use and litigation have limited widespread implementation. The literature on legal considerations and challenges to overcome, and guidelines related to use of data recording in the surgical environment, are presented in this narrative review. Methods A review of PubMed and Embase databases and Cochrane Library was undertaken. International jurisprudence on the topic was searched. Practice recommendations and legal perspectives were acquired based on experience with implementation and use of a video and medical data recorder in the operating theatre. Results After removing duplicates, 116 citations were retrieved and abstracts screened; 31 articles were assessed for eligibility and 20 papers were finally included. According to the European General Data Protection Regulation and US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, researchers are required to make sure that personal data collected from patients and healthcare professionals are used fairly and lawfully, for limited and specifically stated purposes, in an adequate and relevant manner, kept safe and secure, and stored for no longer than is absolutely necessary. Data collected for the sole purpose of healthcare quality improvement are not required to be added to the patient's medical record. Conclusion Transparency on the use and purpose of recorded data should be ensured to both staff and patients. The recorded video data do not need to be used as evidence in court if patient medical records are well maintained. Clear legislation on data responsibility is needed to use the medical recorder optimally for quality improvement initiatives.