Attitudes towards euthanasia among health workers, students and family members of patients in hospice in north-eastern Poland

• Authors: Mickiewicz, I , Krajewska-Kułak, E , Kułak, W , Lewko, J

Abstracts

EN

Purpose: To assess attitudes towards euthanasia among medical staff (hospice workers and nurses not working in hospice), nursing students and family members of patients in hospice. Materials and methods: The study group included 565 persons: 175 nursing students, 183 professio-nally-active nurses not working in hospice, 103 hospice workers and 104 family members of patients in hospice. We used the original questionnaire survey. Results: Nearly half of the nurses, 49.6% of the students, 71.8% of the hospice workers and 45.2% of the family members were opposed to active euthanasia, whereas, 24.6% of the nurses, 32.4% of the students, 19% of the family members and 9% of the hospice workers supported euthanasia. Nurses supported the following forms of euthanasia: stopping resuscitation (47.5%), discontinuing life-support equipment (24%), and lethal injection (12%). In the student group, 43.6% supported stopping resuscitation, 34.4% supported the withdrawal of life-support equipment, and 12.6% supported lethal injection. Almost 46% of family members of patients in hospice accepted discontinuing life-support equipment and 21.2% supported stopping resuscitation. Nearly 37% of hospice workers accepted stopping resuscitation and 28.6% supported the withdrawal of life-support equipment. Most hospice workers were opposed to active euthanasia while most of the nursing students supported it. Conslusion: The legalization of euthanasia was favored by most of the students; however, in contrast, it was rarely favored by the hospice workers

Keywords

EN

euthanasia; hospice; medical staff

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Medyczny w Białymstoku
• Journal: Progress in Health Sciences
• Year: 2012
• Volume: 2
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 81-88

Contributors

author

Mickiewicz, I

author

Krajewska-Kułak, E

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Kułak, W

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Lewko, J