Attitudes towards euthanasia among physicians, nurses and the general public in Finland

Ryynänen, Olli‐Pekka; Myllykangas, Markku; Virén, Matti; Heino, H

doi:10.1038/sj.ph.1900875

Cited by 64 publications

(107 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Moreover, French nurses’ level of agreement with euthanasia legalisation is halfway between the levels observed among physicians and the general public,14 as found in other countries 33 – 36. Finally, beyond the distinction between PAS and euthanasia, the opinion profiles “only euthanasia, not PAS” and “both euthanasia and PAS” had some common predictive factors, including not believing in God, a finding that is consistent with many previous studies conducted among both nurses and physicians 22 35 36 13 37…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

French hospital nurses’ opinion about euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide: a national phone survey

Bendiane

Bouhnik²,

Galinier³

et al. 2009

J Med Ethics

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

French hospital nurses’ opinion about euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide: a national phone survey

Bendiane

Bouhnik²,

Galinier³

et al. 2009

J Med Ethics

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show abstract

“…The two surveys used the same questions, but this difference must be interpreted cautiously, as the data were not collected in the same year. Nevertheless, other studies have found a similar gap between nurses’ and physicians’ attitudes towards euthanasia 38 41. But a much more striking difference between French physicians and French nurses is clearly apparent when the factors associated with attitudes towards euthanasia are considered.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

“…In contrast, previous studies did not find any difference according to nurses’ gender, probably because there were too few male nurses in the corresponding samples. Surveys conducted among physicians rarely found a similar gender effect37, while those carried out in the general population more frequently concluded that men were more likely to support euthanasia 38 – 40. Further research is needed to better understand this gender effect among nurses, especially because of the ongoing masculinisation of this profession, at least in France.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

French district nurses’ opinions towards euthanasia, involvement in end-of-life care and nurse–patient relationship: a national phone survey: Table 1

et al. 2007

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Objectives: To assess French district nurses' opinions towards euthanasia and to study factors associated with these opinions, with emphasis on attitudes towards terminal patients. Design and setting: An anonymous telephone survey carried out in 2005 among a national random sample of French district nurses. Participants: District nurses currently delivering home care who have at least 1 year of professional experience. Of 803 district nurses contacted, 602 agreed to participate (response rate 75%). Main outcome measures: Opinion towards the legalisation of euthanasia (on a five-point Likert scale from ''strongly agree'' to ''strongly disagree''), attitudes towards terminal patients (discussing end-of-life issues with them, considering they should be told their prognosis, valuing the role of advance directives and surrogates). Results: Overall, 65% of the 602 nurses favoured legalising euthanasia. Regarding associated factors, this proportion was higher among those who discuss end-of-life issues with terminal patients (70%), who consider competent patients should always be told their prognosis (81%) and who value the role of advance directives and surrogates in end-of-life decision-making for incompetent patients (68% and 77% respectively). Women and older nurses were less likely to favour legalising euthanasia, as were those who believed in a god who masters their destiny. Conclusions: French nurses are more in favour of legalising euthanasia than French physicians; these two populations contrast greatly in the factors associated with this support. Further research is needed to investigate how and to what extent such attitudes may affect nursing practice and emotional well-being in the specific context of end-of-life home care.

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“…The thirty studies comprised eighteen quantitative studies, [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] nine qualitative studies, 30-37 two literature reviews, 2 3 and one anthropological account of euthanasia practice. 38 The studies were set in the USA, 2 15 19 23 27-29 32 Australia, 11 12 16 18 20 25 33 Japan, 13 26 Finland, 24 31 The Netherlands, 36 38 Canada, 34 37 Belgium, 3 36 Switzerland, 14 Israel, 22 and Hungary.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The complexity of nurses’ attitudes toward euthanasia: a review of the literature

Berghs

Casterlé²,

Gastmans³

2005

J Med Ethics

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In this literature review, a picture is given of the complexity of nursing attitudes toward euthanasia. The myriad of data found in empirical literature is mostly framed within a polarised debate and inconclusive about the complex reality behind attitudes toward euthanasia. Yet, a further examination of the content as well as the context of attitudes is more revealing. The arguments for euthanasia have to do with quality of life and respect for autonomy. Arguments against euthanasia have to do with non-maleficence, sanctity of life, and the notion of the slippery slope. When the context of attitudes is examined a number of positive correlates for euthanasia such as age, nursing specialty, and religion appear. In a further analysis of nurses’ comments on euthanasia, it is revealed that part of the complexity of nursing attitudes toward euthanasia arises because of the needs of nurses at the levels of clinical practice, communication, emotions, decision making, and ethics.

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Attitudes towards euthanasia among physicians, nurses and the general public in Finland

Cited by 64 publications

References 40 publications

French hospital nurses’ opinion about euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide: a national phone survey

French hospital nurses’ opinion about euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide: a national phone survey

French district nurses’ opinions towards euthanasia, involvement in end-of-life care and nurse–patient relationship: a national phone survey: Table 1

The complexity of nurses’ attitudes toward euthanasia: a review of the literature

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