[Physician Assisted Suicide - Survey on § 217 StGB in Germany]

Background In late 2015, Germany passed a law (§ 217 StGB) prohibiting persons from aiding others in committing suicide on a regular, repetitive basis. Despite intensive societal debate and surveys about assisted dying, the present study was the first to examine attitudes towards the new legal regulation among professionals. Methods In early 2016, all participants of a congress on palliative care received a one-page anonymous questionnaire to complete until the end of the conference. The questionnaire consisted of questions regarding assisted suicide and the new law. The participants were asked to express their agreement or disagreement on a 4 to 5-point Likert scale. Results 457 questionnaires (48 %) were completed, 138 from physicians, 318 from nurses, 1 non specified. More than 80 % knew about the new law. Only half of the respondents supported it. 54 % felt that the law did not sufficiently differentiate between an illegal form of assisted suicide and a form exempt from prosecution. For more than 40 % the new law made no sense. Conclusion Professionals engaged in terminal care were reluctant to support a criminal liability of "business-like" physician-assisted suicide and suspected greater uncertainty among professionals in end of life care.