Trends in Swedish physicians’ attitudes towards physician-assisted suicide: a cross-sectional study
BMC Medical Ethics 22 (1):1-9 (2021)
Abstract
AimsTo examine attitudes towards physician-assisted suicide among physicians in Sweden and compare these with the results from a similar cross-sectional study performed in 2007.ParticipantsA random selection of 250 physicians from each of six specialties and all 127 palliative care physicians in Sweden were invited to participate in this study.SettingA postal questionnaire commissioned by the Swedish Medical Society in collaboration with Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. ResultsThe total response rate was 59.2%. Slightly fewer than half [47.1% ] of the respondents from the six specialties accepted PAS, which is significantly more than accepted PAS in the 2007 study [34.9% ]. Thirty-three percent of respondents were prepared to prescribe the needed drugs. When asked what would happen to the respondent’s own trust in healthcare, a majority [67.1% ] stated that legalizing PAS would either not influence their own trust in healthcare, or that their trust would increase. This number is an increase compared to the 2007 survey, when just over half [51.9% ] indicated that their own trust would either not be influenced, or would increase.ConclusionsThe study reveals a shift towards a more accepting attitude concerning PAS among physicians in Sweden. Only a minority of the respondents stated that they were against PAS, and a considerable proportion reported being prepared to prescribe the needed drugs for patient self-administration if PAS were legalized.My notes
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Citations of this work
Trends in Swedish physicians’ attitudes towards physician-assisted suicide: a cross-sectional study.Niklas Juth, Mikael Sandlund, Ingemar Engström, Anna Lindblad & Niels Lynøe - 2021 - BMC Medical Ethics 22 (1):1-9.
Ambivalence toward euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide has decreased among physicians in Finland.Juho T. Lehto, Jukka Vänskä, Pekka Louhiala & Reetta P. Piili - 2022 - BMC Medical Ethics 23 (1):1-8.
Attitudes on euthanasia among medical students and doctors in Sri Lanka: a cross sectional study.H. M. M. T. B. Herath, K. W. S. M. Wijayawardhana, U. I. Wickramarachchi & Chaturaka Rodrigo - 2021 - BMC Medical Ethics 22 (1):1-8.
Values at stake at the end of life: Analyses of personal preferences among Swedish physicians.Niels Lynøe, Anna Lindblad, Ingemar Engström, Mikael Sandlund & Niklas Juth - forthcoming - Clinical Ethics:147775092210773.
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