Nursing students' approaches toward euthanasia

Area of Science:

• Medical Ethics
• Nursing Education
• End-of-Life Care

Background:

• Euthanasia is illegal in Turkey, a secular, Muslim-majority nation, posing ethical dilemmas for healthcare professionals.
• Nurses and students grapple with conflicts between religious beliefs, cultural values, and legal frameworks concerning euthanasia.
• A significant gap exists in formal education regarding euthanasia among nursing students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the attitudes of undergraduate nursing students in Turkey towards euthanasia.
• To explore factors influencing nursing students' perspectives on end-of-life decisions and practices.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive study design was employed, surveying 383 undergraduate nursing students.
• Data were collected using questionnaires in May 2009 from students across all four years of study.
• Statistical analysis identified significant relationships between study year and attitudes towards euthanasia.

Main Results:

• A majority of surveyed students (78.9%) reported no formal education on euthanasia.
• While 32.4% opposed euthanasia, a notable percentage considered passive euthanasia for relatives (14.3%) or themselves (24.8%).
• Attitudes towards euthanasia, its potential for abuse, and ethical considerations were significantly influenced by the students' year of study.

Conclusions:

• The study highlights that nursing students' attitudes toward euthanasia are shaped by legal, ethical, religious, and experiential factors.
• A lack of comprehensive education on euthanasia contributes to varied and sometimes conflicting student perspectives.
• Addressing these factors is crucial for developing informed and ethically sound approaches to end-of-life care discussions in nursing.