Attitudes of non-physician health workers working in the Emergency Department towards euthanasia, death, and the terminally patient

Abstract

Aim: The use of the right to die in the center of the individual's own decision is called euthanasia. This decision, was evaluated from legal, religious, and medical perspectives. In different countries applied euthanasia, which can be performed actively or passively. In our study, we planned to investigate the perspectives of healthcare professionals working in the emergency department about euthanasia and their thoughts on diseases that can be applied to euthanasia. Material and methods: A survey was conducted from June to October 2022 on non-physician health workers working in the Emergency department. A questionnaire including demographic data, professional knowledge, and Attitude Scale towards Euthanasia, Death, and the Terminally Patient was administered to the healthcare professionals who agreed to participate in the study. The obtained data were analyzed. Results: In the study, the feedback of 60 participants, 37 of whom were women, was evaluated. The mean age of the entrants was found to be 39.07±10.11 years. 60% of the participants had received cardiopulmonary resuscitation training in the past year. 70% of the participants stated that they could be euthanized for coma, 38.33% for severe disability, and 36.67% for severe and incurable neurological diseases. Conclusion: In the process of euthanasia, which does not have a legal infrastructure in our country, different perspectives are seen from different departments of health services. Key words: emergency department, euthanasia, non-health workers

Keywords

• Emergency department
• euthanasia
• non-health workers.