Planning for end of life in the past and present: Historical, legal, and clinical perspectives on ReSPECT

The ReSPECT (‘Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment’) process

was developed in the UK to guide and document conversations and decision-making with

patients and their relatives around intervention during critical deterioration. This includes

advising whether resuscitation should be attempted when a person dies. Current medical

preparation for death is qualitatively different to social behaviours by people in the past and

presents some controversies when considering the legal status of death-related decisions. In

this paper, we discuss our interdisciplinary perspectives as archaeological, historical, legal,

medical, and clinical psychologist academics following an historico-medico-legal appraisal of

the ReSPECT process as situated in the current UK legal and cultural landscape. We review

controversies and conundrums, and contextualise and contrast the current position to

preparing for death and dying in the past.