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Views on medical assistance in dying and related arguments : a survey of doctors and nurses at a university hospital

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dc.contributor.author Sigurbjörnsson, Svanur
dc.contributor.author Ásgeirsdóttir, Brynhildur K.
dc.contributor.author Valsdóttir, Elsa Björk
dc.date.accessioned 2024-12-10T01:03:50Z
dc.date.available 2024-12-10T01:03:50Z
dc.date.issued 2024-12
dc.identifier.citation Sigurbjörnsson , S , Ásgeirsdóttir , B K & Valsdóttir , E B 2024 , ' Views on medical assistance in dying and related arguments : a survey of doctors and nurses at a university hospital ' , BMC Medical Ethics , vol. 25 , no. 1 , 137 , pp. 137 . https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-024-01138-5
dc.identifier.issn 1472-6939
dc.identifier.other 232859244
dc.identifier.other e8948816-11ac-4771-9345-f3bd935793f9
dc.identifier.other 85210094590
dc.identifier.other 39581987
dc.identifier.uri https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/5167
dc.description Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2024.
dc.description.abstract Background: In 2021, a survey was conducted among doctors and nurses at Landspítali Iceland University Hospital (LIUH) regarding their views on medical assistance in dying (MAID) and the underlying arguments, the inclusion criteria and modality of implementation. Surveys on identically defined study groups in 1995 and 2010 were used for comparison. Methods: The survey was sent to 357 doctors and 516 nurses working at LIUH. It included seven questions and several subquestions. Participants’ answers were compared by profession, age group, and specialisation status. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Results: A total of 135 doctors (38% response rate) and 103 nurses (20% response rate) answered the survey, representing 27% of the study group. A total of 145 (61%) participants were positive about MAID, with the most common argument being patient autonomy. The 95% margin of error for this view was ± 6.2%. Compared to 19% in 2010, support for MAID had tripled in 2021 (p < 0.05). Approximately 18% of participants did not support MAID of any kind, mostly due to arguments regarding preserving life or inconsistencies with the role of health care professionals. Finally, 19% of participants were uncertain of their views towards MAID, mostly due to the high level of complexity of the matter. Conclusion: Compared to previous surveys, a large increase in positive attitudes towards MAID was observed among this study population. The results revealed the reasons for participants’ attitudes; weighing patients’ dignity/autonomy against professionals’ duty to “not to kill”/palliate and showing some differences between professions.
dc.format.extent 1410329
dc.format.extent 137
dc.language.iso en
dc.relation.ispartofseries BMC Medical Ethics; 25(1)
dc.rights info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject Bráðalæknisfræði
dc.subject Skurðlæknisfræði brjósta, innkirtla og meltingarfæra
dc.subject Arguments
dc.subject Health care professionals
dc.subject Iceland
dc.subject Legal loophole
dc.subject Medical assistance in dying (MAID)
dc.subject Modality
dc.subject Nordic country
dc.subject University hospital
dc.subject Views on euthanasia and physician assisted suicide (PAS)
dc.subject Issues, Ethics and Legal Aspects
dc.subject Health (social science)
dc.subject Health Policy
dc.subject SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
dc.title Views on medical assistance in dying and related arguments : a survey of doctors and nurses at a university hospital
dc.type /dk/atira/pure/researchoutput/researchoutputtypes/contributiontojournal/article
dc.description.version Peer reviewed
dc.identifier.doi 10.1186/s12910-024-01138-5
dc.relation.url http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85210094590&partnerID=8YFLogxK
dc.contributor.department Other departments
dc.contributor.department Faculty of Medicine


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