Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T17:26:35.308Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Attitudes toward euthanasia and physician assisted suicide: A survey among medical students, oncology clinicians, and palliative care specialists

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 September 2006

M.C. MARINI ,
H. NEUENSCHWANDER  and
F. STIEFEL
M.C. MARINI
Affiliation:
Service of Palliative Care–IOSI, Lugano, Switzerland
H. NEUENSCHWANDER
Affiliation:
Service of Palliative Care–IOSI, Lugano, Switzerland
F. STIEFEL
Affiliation:
Psychiatry Service, University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the results of surveys about attitudes toward euthanasia and related issues that was conducted among palliative care specialists, health care professionals of a cancer center, and first- and second-year medical students.

Methods: By means of an anonymous questionnaire with different hypothetical scenarios concerning physician assisted suicide (PAS) and related issues, 726 members of the Swiss Association for Palliative Care (SAPC), 148 health care professionals of the Institute of Oncology of Italian speaking Switzerland (IOSI), and 140 medical students of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, were surveyed.

Results: Among palliative care specialists a decreasing number supported PAS, direct active euthanasia (DAE), DAE for psychiatric patients, DAE in incompetent patients, and life terminating acts without explicit request (LAWER). Professionals of the cancer center were more in favor of DAE and PAS than palliative care specialists, but less in favor than medical students.

Significance of results: Significant variations among different professionals exist in attitudes toward euthanasia. The hypothesis that familiarity with the care of severely ill and dying patients is an important underlying factor explaining variance has been confirmed by these surveys.

Keywords

Palliative careEuthanasiaSurveyPhysician assisted suicide
Type
Research Article
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 4 , Issue 3 , September 2006 , pp. 251 - 255
Copyright
© 2006 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Asch, D.A. (1996). The role of critical care nurses in euthanasia and assisted suicide. New England Journal of Medicine, 334, 1374–1379.Google Scholar
Bachman, J.G., Alcser, K.H., Doukas, D.J., et al. (1996). Attitudes of Michigan physicians and the public toward legalizing physician-assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia. New England Journal of Medicine, 334, 303–309.Google Scholar
Bittel, N., Neuenschwander, H., & Stiefel, F. (2002). Euthanasia: A survey by the Swiss Association for Palliative Care. Supportive Care in Cancer, 10, 265–271.Google Scholar
Caddel, D.P. & Newton, R.R. (1995). Euthanasia: American attitudes toward the physician's role. Social Science & Medicine, 40, 1671–1681.Google Scholar
de Wachter, M.A. (1989). Active euthanasia in the Netherlands. JAMA, 262, 3316–3319.Google Scholar
Deckard, G., Meterko, M., & Field, D. (1994). Physician burnout: An examination of personal, professional, and organization relationship. Medical Care, 32, 745–754.Google Scholar
Directive institutionelle “Assistance au suicide.” (2005). Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV).
Duberstein, P.R., Conwell, Y., Cox, C., et al. (1995). Attitudes toward self-determined death: A survey of primary care physicians. Journal of the American Geriatric Society, 43, 395–400.Google Scholar
Emanuel, E.J. (1996). Oregon's physician-assisted suicide law. Provisions and problems. Archives of Internal Medicine, 156, 825–829.Google Scholar
Emanuel, E.J., Fairclough, D.L., Daniels, E.R., et al. (1996). Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide: Attitudes of oncology patients, oncologists, and the public. Lancet, 347, 1805–1810.Google Scholar
Graber, M.A., Levy, B.I., Weir, R.F., et al. (1996). Patients' view about physicians' participation in assisted suicide and euthanasia. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 11, 71–76.Google Scholar
Grassi, L., Magnani, K., & Ercolani, M. (1999). Attitude toward euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide among Italian primary care physicians. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 17, 188–196.Google Scholar
Groenewoud, J.H., van der Mas, P.J., van der Wal, G., et al. (1997). Physician-assisted death in psychiatric practice in the Netherlands. New England Journal of Medicine, 336, 1795–1801.Google Scholar
Medizinisch-ethische Richtlinien zur Betreuung von Patientinnen und Patienten am Lebensende. (2005). Schweizerische Akademie der Medizinischen Wissenschaften.
Meier, D.E., Emmons, C.A., Wallenstein, S., et al. (1998). A national survey of physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia in the United States. New England Journal of Medicine, 338, 1993–2001.Google Scholar
Molloy, D.W. (1999). Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. New England Journal of Medicine, 340, 1517–1518.Google Scholar
Portenoy, R.K., Coyle, N., Kash, K.M., et al. (1997). Determinants of the willingness to endorse assisted suicide. A survey of physicians, nurses, and social workers. Psychosomatics, 38, 277–287.Google Scholar
Quill, T.E. (1991). Death and dignity: A case of individualized decision making. New England Journal of Medicine, 324, 691–694.Google Scholar
Ramirez, A., Graham, J., Richards, M.A., et al. (1996). Mental health of hospital consultants: The effect of stress and satisfaction at work. Lancet, 347, 724–728.Google Scholar
Ruffy, V. (1994). Ruffy's motion to the Swiss National Parliament: Loosening the Swiss penal law with regard to direct active euthanasia. Swiss National Parliament, Bern.
Ruffy, V. (1996). Ruffy's postulate to the federal Department of Justice and Police: Loosening the Swiss penal law with regard to direct active euthanasia. Federal Department of Justice and Police, Bern.
Ryan, C.J. & Kaye, M. (1996). Euthanasia in Australia: The Northern Territory Rights of the Terminally Ill Act. New England Journal of Medicine, 334, 326–328.Google Scholar
Sepulveda, C., Marlin, A., Yoshida, T., et al. (2002). Palliative care: The World Health Organisation's global perspective. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 24, 91–96.Google Scholar
Shuman, C.R., Fournet, G.P., Zelhart, P.F., et al. (1992). Attitudes of registered nurses toward euthanasia. Death Studies, 16, 1–15.Google Scholar
Sterbehilfe. Bericht der Arbeitsgruppe an das eidgenhössische Justiz-und Polizeidepartement. (1999). Sterbehilfe, Bern.
Stevens, C.A. & Hassan, R. (1994). Management of death, dying and euthanasia: Attitudes and practice of medical pratictioners in South Australia. Journal of Medical Ethics, 20, 41–46.Google Scholar
Van der Heide, A., Deliens, L., Faisst, K., et al. (2003). End-of-life decision-making in six European countries: Descriptive study. Lancet, 362(9381), 345–350.Google Scholar