They also regarded euthanasia as less reprehensible now than they did 16 years ago.ĭiscussions about the ethical justification of hastened death due to unbearable suffering are ongoing. The physicians’ specialty and many other background factors influenced this acceptance. Conclusionįinnish physicians accepted the risk of hastening death more often in 2015 than in 1999. In both years, most physicians (84%) withheld cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Euthanasia, but not assisted suicide, was considered less reprehensible in 2015 ( p = 0.008). Oncological specialty, faith in God, female gender and younger age were independent factors associated with the reluctance to increase the morphine dose. Oncologists approved the increase most infrequently without a significant change between the study years (15% vs. The morphine dose was increased by 25% and 34% of the physicians in 19, respectively ( p < 0.001). Physicians’ attitudes towards assisted death, life values and other background factors were queried as well. Two scenarios of patients with advanced cancer were presented: one requesting an increase in his morphine dose to a potentially lethal level and another suffering a cardiac arrest. MethodsĪ questionnaire including hypothetical patient scenarios was sent to 11 Finnish physicians in 19, respectively. The aim of this study was to explore the changes in these attitudes among Finnish physicians. Studies on physicians’ opinions about assisted dying (euthanasia or assisted suicide) exist, but changes in physicians’ attitudes towards hastened death in clinical decision-making and the background factors explaining this remain unclear. The ethics of hastened death are complex.
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