Euthanasia: a comparison of the lived experience of Chinese and Australian palliative care nurses

This paper reports on a study which investigated whether nurses from Eastern and Western cultures hold differing definitions of euthanasia and different perspectives of the effect of their attitudes to euthanasia on professional relationships with patients and colleagues. The focus of the study was the lived experience of Chinese and Australian nurses working in palliative care. The results indicate that there were differences between these two groups in their definitions of euthanasia. Lived experience obtained from both groups revealed conflict with patients and colleagues, and a lack of opportunity to discuss the ethical issue of euthanasia in the workplace.