Ethical problems in geriatrics: views of Turkish primary healthcare professionals

Primary healthcare professionals frequently encounter ethical issues in the care of older adults. These issues might particularly appear in the context of "age discrimination", "respect for autonomy", "respect for privacy" and "decision-making competency". The aims of this study were to determine the frequency rates of various geriatric ethical problems and to evaluate the importance given to these problems in primary healthcare.

In order to evaluate the opinions, a questionnaire tool was formulated. The participants were asked to review the list of geriatric ethical issues, to state the frequency of encountering them and to identify the importance ratings for each issue. The sample consisted of 86 primary healthcare professionals (50 physicians and 36 nurses) aged between 24 and 50 years.

Based on the results, the most frequently encountered ethical issues were on "decision-making competency" and these issues respectively were "decision-making with relatives instead of elder patients", "not informing elders due to the lack of tolerance" and "not informing elders due to the lack of comprehending". The most important geriatric ethical issues were "ignoring respect for privacy", "ignoring patient's complaints" and "rejecting detailed examination or treatment because of age".

Overall, the results show that the nurses and physicians in primary healthcare frequently encounter geriatric ethical problems related to the decision-making process, which is a common issue for Turkey as a paternalistic society. The findings show that primary healthcare professionals are sensitive to geriatric ethical issues; however, this sensitivity does not prevent the emergence of these issues.