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

Abstract

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.

Nurses' attitudes to euthanasia: the influence of empirical studies and methodological concerns on nursing practice

“…, 2002), French nurses with the general public and other health professionals (Teisseyre et al. , 2005), French district nurses (Bendiane et al. , 2007), intensive care nurses in Turkey, (Kumas et al.…”

“…Studies have also compared the attitudes of Australian and Japanese nurses (Tanida et al, 2002), French nurses with the general public and other health professionals (Teisseyre et al, 2005), French district nurses (Bendiane et al, 2007), intensive care nurses in Turkey, (Kumas et al, 2007), members of the Swiss Association for Palliative Care (Bittel et al, 2001) and nurses in Finland (Kuuppelomäki, 2000). However, apart from the two polls carried out by the Nursing Times described above, there are no published studies specifically exploring the attitudes of British nurses to euthanasia.…”

Adaptation and validation of the Euthanasia Attitude Scale into Spanish

“…Research on attitudes toward euthanasia have been conducted in many countries. 12 –19 However, the way in which nurses perceive euthanasia or even the possibility of these professionals participating in this process is currently a silent or hushed debate taking place in many hospitals and nursing homes, in which the nurse provides care and spiritual support to dying patients and their families. A recent study conducted in Belgium reported that 99% of nurses surveyed indicated that the management of euthanasia requests and other topics related with end of life should be a part of nurses’ formal education.…”

Indian Nurses’ Attitudes Toward Euthanasia

“…In general, it is believed that gender may shape beliefs, attitudes and practices toward euthanasia. In a study among nurses, it was found that women were less likely to favor legalizing euthanasia (Bendiane et al., 2007). Similarly, research among general population provided evidence that men were more likely to support euthanasia.…”