Nursing Student Attitudes toward Euthanasia: A Cross-Sectional Study
Background:Euthanasia is among the most common and controversial end-of-life care issues. Examining the attitudes of nursing students to this issue is important because they may well encounter these issues during the course of their clinical placements.Research aims:This study aims to examine the at...
| Authors: | ; |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage
2019
|
| In: |
Nursing ethics
Year: 2019, Volume: 26, Issue: 2, Pages: 496-503 |
| Further subjects: | B
Nursing
B Muslim countries B Iran B Legislation B Developing Countries B Euthanasia |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Background:Euthanasia is among the most common and controversial end-of-life care issues. Examining the attitudes of nursing students to this issue is important because they may well encounter these issues during the course of their clinical placements.Research aims:This study aims to examine the attitudes of a sample of Iranian nursing students towards euthanasia.Research design:This is a descriptive cross-sectional study.Participants and research context:Using convenience sampling, 382 Muslim nursing students were enrolled in this study.Methods:Data were collected using a demographic variables checklist and a self-administered questionnaire that included a definition of euthanasia and 11 closed questions that sought to record participants’ level of agreement with euthanasia based on a Likert scale.Ethical consideration:Consent for participation was implicit, indicated by the participants having returned the completed questionnaires. Participants were assured that their data would remain anonymous, be kept confidential and be stored safely.Findings:Of the 382 participants, 61.5% were female, and the remainder were male. The mean age was 62.6 ± 14.1 years (range: 32–91 years). In total, 34.2%, 41.6% and 24% of students reported a negative, neutral and positive attitude to euthanasia, respectively. Most students with clinical experience, and 38.5% of students with no clinical experience, indicated their agreement with active euthanasia.Discussion:There are a number of misconceptions among Iranian Muslim nursing students regarding the definition of euthanasia. Nonetheless, most students exhibit positive attitudes to euthanasia consistent with their clinical experiences.Conclusion:It is recommended to explore the factors that induced nursing students’ tendency to euthanasia. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1477-0989 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Nursing ethics
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0969733017718393 |