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Gaasø, Ole Marius; Rø, Karin Isaksson; Bringedal, Berit; Magelssen, Morten

doi:10.4045/tidsskr.18.0391

Cited by 8 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…18 There are several studies showing the importance of religion concerning the attitudes of doctors, with the religious ones opposing these practices more often than the non-religious one. 20–27 However, there are also studies which did not observe that association. 24,28,29 Practicing a religion was often not included in studies on assisted death.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Attitudes toward assisted death amongst doctors in Northern Portugal

Gonçalves

2020

Clinical Ethics

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Introduction Context: In Portugal assisted death was approved in February 2020 by the Parliament, although the law is not yet in force. Objectives To find out what doctors think about those practices. Methods A link to a questionnaire was sent by email three times, at intervals of one week, to the doctors registered in the Northern Section of the Portuguese Medical Association, before the Parliamentary approval. Results The questionnaire was returned by 1148 (9%) physicians. A minority of doctors would practice a form of assisted death under the present law or if it was legalized, but a higher percentage think that euthanasia should be legalized, and more would like to have that option if they themselves were in a terminal phase of a disease. Religion has a strong influence on the attitudes of doctors, so too does their contact with patients in a terminal phase, as doctors who deal with more patients with far advanced diseases are more likely to be unfavorable to assisted death. On the other hand, younger doctors are more in favor of these practices. Conclusion The small percentage of questionnaires sent back is a weakness in this study and casts doubts on the generalizability of the conclusions. However, this is, so far, the best approximation to the opinions of Portuguese doctors on assisted death.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Attitudes toward assisted death amongst doctors in Northern Portugal

Gonçalves

2020

Clinical Ethics

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“…Finally, we are aware that the wording and framing of a questionnaire, as well as the introduction with preconditions in the cover letter, might influence how the participants respond, at least regarding the general public [10,23]. Some of the preconditions themselves might have been subject to different interpretations, such as "the patient is at the end of life", but we used the same phrase that was used in the 2007 study.…”

Section: Strengths and Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This number is quite a bit lower than the general public, where 73% were in favour of PAS in the same year [12], and a very recent opinion poll (2020) among the general public resulted in similar numbers in favour of PAS [13]. That healthcare professionals are more against PAS than the general public is a pattern that has been documented in many countries where PAS is not legal [1,2,9,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In recent years, there has been a lively public debate about physician-assisted suicide (PAS) both internationally and in Sweden [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. California and other states in the US have followed Oregon in legalization of PAS; Canada has legalized euthanasia and PAS, and in 2020, New Zealand passed legislation laying the groundwork for the legalization of euthanasia and/or PAS in 2021.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trends in Swedish physicians’ attitudes towards physician-assisted suicide: a cross-sectional study

et al. 2021

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Aims To examine attitudes towards physician-assisted suicide (PAS) among physicians in Sweden and compare these with the results from a similar cross-sectional study performed in 2007. Participants A random selection of 250 physicians from each of six specialties (general practice, geriatrics, internal medicine, oncology, surgery and psychiatry) and all 127 palliative care physicians in Sweden were invited to participate in this study. Setting A postal questionnaire commissioned by the Swedish Medical Society in collaboration with Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Results The total response rate was 59.2%. Slightly fewer than half [47.1% (95% CI 43.7–50.5)] of the respondents from the six specialties accepted PAS, which is significantly more than accepted PAS in the 2007 study [34.9% (95% CI 31.5–38.3)]. Thirty-three percent of respondents were prepared to prescribe the needed drugs. When asked what would happen to the respondent’s own trust in healthcare, a majority [67.1% (95% CI 63.9–70.3)] stated that legalizing PAS would either not influence their own trust in healthcare, or that their trust would increase. This number is an increase compared to the 2007 survey, when just over half [51.9% (95% CI 48.0–55.2)] indicated that their own trust would either not be influenced, or would increase. Conclusions The study reveals a shift towards a more accepting attitude concerning PAS among physicians in Sweden. Only a minority of the respondents stated that they were against PAS, and a considerable proportion reported being prepared to prescribe the needed drugs for patient self-administration if PAS were legalized.

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“…In a recent poll of Norwegian doctors, 9% strongly agreed and 22% partially agreed to the statement that 'Physician-assisted suicide should be permitted for persons suffering from a fatal disease with a short remaining life expectancy'; 47% strongly disagreed, 11% partially disagreed and 11% neither agreed nor disagreed. 3 Previous studies have examined the most frequent symptoms and complaints of patients with refractory suffering. White et al's 2004 Australian interview study with experienced nurses working in palliative care found that suffering was experienced to be complex and multidimensional, with a close relationship between physical suffering and existential, spiritual, psychological, metaphysical and emotional suffering.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Refractory suffering at the end of life and the assisted dying debate: An interview study with palliative care nurses and doctors

et al. 2020

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Background How often does refractory suffering, which is suffering due to symptoms that cannot be adequately controlled, occur at the end of life in modern palliative care? What are the causes of such refractory suffering? Should euthanasia be offered for refractory suffering at the end of life? We sought to shed light on these questions through interviews with palliative care specialists. Methods Semi-structured interviews with six nurses and six doctors working in palliative care in five Norwegian hospitals. Transcripts were analysed with systematic text condensation, a qualitative analysis framework. Results Informants find that refractory suffering is rare, and that with palliative sedation satisfactory symptom control can nearly always be achieved at the end of life. However, the process of reaching adequate symptom control can be protracted, and there can be significant suffering in the meantime. Both somatic, psychological, social and existential factors can contribute to refractory suffering and potentiate each other. However, informants also place significant weight on factors pertaining to the organization of palliative care services as contributing to insufficient symptom control. Conclusions If refractory suffering is indeed rare, then this arguably weakens a common prima facie argument for the legalization of assisted dying. However, the process of reaching adequate symptom control can be protracted and involve significant suffering. The experiences of palliative care clinicians constitute important empirical premises for the assisted dying debate. The study points to several areas in which palliative care can be improved.

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Legers holdninger til aktiv dødshjelp

Cited by 8 publications

References 6 publications

Attitudes toward assisted death amongst doctors in Northern Portugal

Attitudes toward assisted death amongst doctors in Northern Portugal

Trends in Swedish physicians’ attitudes towards physician-assisted suicide: a cross-sectional study

Refractory suffering at the end of life and the assisted dying debate: An interview study with palliative care nurses and doctors

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