Attitudes towards terminal sedation: an empirical survey among experts in the field of medical ethics

BMC Palliative Care

Table 3 Moral evaluation of different scenarios (details in valid percent, difference at 100% due to rounding)

Dying patient		Acceptable		Not acceptable		Don't know
		M	øM	M	øM	M	øM
Physical suffering	Only sedation	98	97	1	1	1	1
	Sedation + withdrawal of nutrition	86	89	12	8	3	3
	Only withdrawal of nutrition	92	95	6	5	3	0
Physical suffering	Only sedation	61	52	23	39	16	9
	Sedation + withdrawal of nutrition	55	44	29	46	16	10
	Only withdrawal of nutrition	68	63	21	22	11	14
Patient with unfavourable prognosis		Acceptable		Not acceptable		Don't know
		M	øM	M	øM	M	øM
Physical suffering	Only sedation	74	66	17	23	9	11
	Sedation + withdrawal of nutrition	63	56	28	30	9	14
	Only withdrawal of nutrition	78	71	17	22	5	7
Mental suffering	Only sedation	37	36	43	47	20	18
	Sedation + withdrawal of nutrition	32	27	48	52	20	21
	Only withdrawal of nutrition	52	50	34	39	14	12

M = respondents with a medical background; øM = respondents without a medical background

ISSN: 1472-684X