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Attitudes toward euthanasia among Swedish medical students
Marit Karlsson1, Peter Strang, Anna Milberg
1Unit of Advanced Palliative Home Care, Linköping University Hospital, Sweden. marit.karlsson@lio.se
Palliative Medicine
|October 19, 2007
Summary
Medical students hold mixed views on euthanasia, citing moral concerns and societal impact against patient autonomy and suffering relief. Education on palliative care may address these complex attitudes toward end-of-life decisions.
Area of Science:
- Medical Ethics
- Sociology of Medicine
Background:
- Attitudes toward euthanasia vary significantly across populations and professions.
- Medical professionals often exhibit greater reluctance towards euthanasia compared to the general public.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the attitudes of medical students towards euthanasia.
- To understand the reasoning behind their perspectives on end-of-life choices.
Main Methods:
- Anonymous questionnaire with open-ended questions administered to 165 first- and fifth-year medical students.
- Qualitative content analysis without predetermined categories was employed for data analysis.
Main Results:
- Arguments against euthanasia included moral objections, societal concerns, physician burden, and doubts about patient requests.
- Arguments supporting euthanasia focused on patient autonomy and the alleviation of suffering from severe illness, hopelessness, and social factors.
- Identified contradictions within students' arguments regarding euthanasia.
Conclusions:
- Medical students' views on euthanasia are complex, balancing ethical considerations with patient-centered arguments.
- Findings suggest a potential need for enhanced education on palliative care, symptom management, and improving patients' perceived quality of life.
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