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The Economist Intelligence Unit, well-known for its Quality-of-Life Index (Ireland ranked No. 1 as the best country in the world to live in, in 2005), has now devised a "Quality of Death" Index to rank countries according to their provision of end-of-life care.
Commissioned by the Lien Foundation, the Index measures the current environment for End-of-Life Care services across 40 countries.

Countries were scored across four categories: Basic End-of-Life Healthcare Environment; Availability of End-of-Life Care; Cost of End-of-Life Care; and Quality of End-of-Life Care.

At the top of the table is the UK. Australia and New Zealand are ranked second and third, respectively.

Ireland is ranked 4th in the overall score, scoring of 6.8 out of 10, ahead of countries like the US, Norway, Luxembourg and Canada, but fell to 17th place in the category: Basic End-of-Life Healthcare Environment, outranked by countries like Hungary and Slovakia.

The country ranked 9th on Cost of End-of-Life Care, 7th on its Availability, and 5th on Quality,

Ireland also scores highest, with Belgium and the UK, on evidence of public discussion on end-of-life care.

The EIU has analysed the Index results in a white paper, for which it interviewed experts around the world. The key findings are as follows:

- Combating perceptions of death, and cultural taboos, is crucial to improving palliative care

- Public debates about euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide may raise awareness, but relate to only a small minority of deaths

- Drug availability is the most important practical issue

- State funding of end-of-life care is limited and often prioritises conventional treatment

- More palliative care may mean less health spending.

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The full white paper is available for download free of charge at: www.eiu.com/sponsor/lienfoundation/qualityofdeath.

A full methodology description is available in the Appendix of the white paper, available for download free of charge at www.eiu.com/sponsor/lienfoundation/qualityofdeath.