Polish Nursing and Midwifery Master's Students' Perceptions of Ethical and Legal Dilemmas Related to Brain Death

This study analyzes the perceptions of master's nursing and midwifery students regarding ethical and legal dilemmas related to the declaration of brain death.

An anonymized, self-administered web-based survey was conducted among 269 master's students in nursing and midwifery at Poznan University of Medical Sciences.

The most controversial ethical and legal dilemmas concerned the lack of legal consequences for patients' declarations of will, family objections to organ donation, and sustaining vital functions in pregnant brain-dead patients. While 82.5% accepted the medical definition of brain death, only 53.6% prioritized quality of life over life preservation. Students identified medical knowledge (96.3%) as the most influential factor shaping their attitudes, followed by ethical (66.2%) and religious (45.4%) views. Regression analysis showed that religiosity and age were associated with support for sustaining life functions, while liberal views and a nursing background correlated with greater support for overriding family objections and discontinuing futile therapy.

Education in up-to-date medical knowledge should place greater emphasis on professional ethics, legal frameworks, and real-life bioethical dilemmas to better prepare students for clinical challenges.