Knowledge, practice and communication barriers for oncology doctors in Chile when addressing the sexuality of their patients.

Introduction: Communication in a doctor-patient relationship constitutes a crucial aspect in medicine, and its multiple dimensions encompass a wide variety of ethical issues. Communication is particularly relevant in oncology, because it requires continually dealing with sensitive topics in one of the most highly vulnerable situations as a human: illness and proximity to death. Sexuality is one of these topics because it constitutes an area that is frequently affected by cancer and cancer treatment, which may include causing significant distress, the reinforcement of a negative self-image, relationship conflicts and a permanent memory of having cancer.

[Legalization of medically assisted death: its potential impact on the development of palliative care].

In Chile, there are four bills to legalize euthanasia, an act which public surveys report as supported by most of the population. At the legislative, healthcare and social level, there is an active debate about euthanasia, the rights of terminally ill patients and the context of Palliative Care (PC) in the country. Chilean literature on euthanasia focuses mainly on the ethical analysis of the act itself but does not address the moral legitimacy of the legalization of this practice.