Attitudes to euthanasia in ICUs and other hospital departments.

Full Abstract

The aim of this study was to reveal doctors' and nurses' attitudes to euthanasia in intensive care units and surgical, internal medicine and paediatric units in Turkey. A total of 205 doctors and 206 nurses working in several hospitals in Istanbul participated. Data were collected by questionnaire and analysed using SPSS v. 12.0. Significantly higher percentages of doctors (35.3%) and nurses (26.6%) working in intensive care units encountered euthanasia requests than those working in other units. Doctors and nurses caring for terminally ill patients in intensive care units differed considerably in their attitudes to euthanasia and patient rights from other health care staff. Euthanasia should be investigated and put on the agenda for discussion in Turkey.

Author information

Author/s: Tepehan, Selma (S); Ozkara, Erdem (E); Yavuz, M Fatih (MF);

Affiliation: Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey. selmatepehan(-atsign-)gmail.com

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article

Journal: Nursing ethics (Nurs Ethics), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-May; vol 16 (issue 3) : pp 319-27

Dates: Created 2009/04/17; Completed 2009/08/07;

PMID: 19372126, status: MEDLINE (last retrieved date: 8/21/2009)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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