Table 3 Responses of physicians and nurses questions 1 to 4
From: Palliative care professionals’ willingness to perform euthanasia or physician assisted suicide
Question | Answer | Physicians n (%) | Nurses n (%) | Total n (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1. A patient has an incurable, painful illness, from which they will die, for example cancer. Would you fulfill his wish and end his life using medication? | Yes | 14 (7.1)* | 11 (4.0) | 25 (5.3) |
No | 164 (82.8)* | 210 (77.2) | 374 (79.6) | |
I don’t know | 20 (10.1)* | 49 (18.0) | 69 (14.7) | |
2. If this patient asks for it, would you give him lethal medication so that he can end his own life? | Yes | 31 (15.7)* | 30 (11.0) | 61 (13) |
No | 136 (68.7)* | 174 (64.0) | 310 (66) | |
I don’t know | 31 (15.7)* | 65 (23.9) | 96 (20.4) | |
3. A patient has an incurable, painful illness, from which they will not die. Would you fulfill his wish and end his life using medication? | Yes | 4 (2.0) | 1 (0.4) | 5 (1.1) |
No | 181 (91.4) | 244 (89.7) | 425 (90.4) | |
I don’t know | 23 (8.5) | 23 (8.5) | 36 (7.7) | |
4. If this patient asks for it, would you give him lethal medication so that he can end his own life? | Yes | 8 (4.0) | 6 (2.2) | 14 (3) |
No | 177 (89.4) | 242 (89.0) | 419 (89.1) | |
I don’t know | 13 (6.6) | 22 (8.1) | 35 (7.4) |