Physicians' attitudes towards euthanasia and correlation with their spirituality

Area of Science:

• Medical Ethics
• Spirituality in Medicine
• Palliative Care Research

Background:

• Increasing patient requests for euthanasia present ethical challenges.
• Physician attitudes towards euthanasia are complex and influenced by various factors.
• Spirituality's role in end-of-life decision-making among physicians requires investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine physicians' attitudes toward euthanasia.
• To explore the correlation between physicians' spirituality and their euthanasia attitudes.
• To identify factors influencing these attitudes, including specialty and experience.

Main Methods:

• Surveyed 93 physicians using the Euthanasia Attitude Scale (EAS).
• Assessed spirituality with the Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES).
• Analyzed correlations between attitudes, specialty, years of service, and patient load.

Main Results:

• Physician attitudes toward euthanasia are significantly correlated with specialty, years of service, and number of end-stage patients cared for.
• Oncologists and experienced physicians treating more end-stage patients showed stronger opposition to euthanasia.
• Higher spirituality, measured by DSES, correlated with negative attitudes toward euthanasia (p<0.001).

Conclusions:

• Physicians, particularly those with extensive experience and in oncology, tend to oppose euthanasia.
• Spirituality is a significant factor associated with negative attitudes toward euthanasia.
• A notable deficit in physician training for end-of-life and palliative care management was identified.