Nurses' attitudes to euthanasia: The influence of empirical studies and methodological concerns on nursing practice: Original article

Nursing Philosophy

Volumn 9, Issue 4, 2008, Pages 257-272

  Holt, Janet ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Euthanasia; Nurses' attitudes

Indexed keywords

ACTIVE EUTHANASIA; ETHNIC GROUP; HEALTH PERSONNEL ATTITUDE; HUMAN; LEGAL ASPECT; NURSE ATTITUDE; PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT; PUBLIC OPINION; REVIEW; UNITED KINGDOM;

ATTITUDE OF HEALTH PERSONNEL; ETHNIC GROUPS; EUTHANASIA, ACTIVE; GREAT BRITAIN; HUMANS; NURSE'S ROLE; PUBLIC OPINION;

EID: 58249083090     PISSN: 14667681     EISSN: 1466769X     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1466-769X.2008.00373.x     Document Type: Article

References (101)

1. Adams G.R., Bueche N. Schvaneveldt J.D. (1978) Contemporary views of euthanasia: a regional assessment. Social Biology, 25 (1 62 68.
2. Airedale NHS Trust v Bland (1993) A.C. 789; 1 ALL ER 821.
3. Ajzen I. Fishbein M. (1977) Attitude-behaviour relations: a theoretical analysis and review of empirical research. Psychological Bulletin, 84, 888 918.
4. Anderson J.G. Caddell D.P. (1993) Attitudes of medical professionals toward euthanasia. Social Science and Medicine, 37 (1 105 114.
5. Aranda S. O'Conner M. (1995) Euthanasia, nursing and care of the dying: rethinking Kuhse and Singer. Australian Nursing Journal, 3 (2 18 21.
6. Asch D. (1996) The role of critical care nurses in euthanasia and assisted suicide. New England Journal of Medicine, 334 (21 1374 1379. (Pubitemid 26152718)
7. Beauchamp T.L. Childress J.F. (2001) Principles of Biomedical Ethics, 5th edn. Oxford University Press, New York.
8. Begley A. (1998) Acts, omissions, intentions and motives: a philosophical examination of the moral distinction between killing and letting die. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 28 (4 865 873.
9. Begley A.M. (2008) Guilty but good: defending voluntary active euthanasia from a virtue perspective. Nursing Ethics, 15 (4 434 445.
10. Bendiane M-K., Galinier A., Favre R. et al 2007) French district nurses' opinions towards euthanasia involvement in end-of-life care and nurse-patient relationship: a national phone survey. Journal of Medical Ethics, 33, 708 711.
11. Benedict S. Kuhla J. (1999) Nurses' participation in the euthanasia programs of Nazi Germany. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 21 (2 246 263.
12. Benedict S., Caplan A. Page T.L. (2007) Duty and 'Euthanasia'; the nurses of Meseritz-Obrawalde. Nursing Ethics, 14 (6 246 263.
13. Berghs M., de Casterle B.D. Gastmans C. (2005) The complexity of nurses' attitudes toward euthanasia: a review of the literature. Journal of Medical Ethics, 31 (8 441 446.
14. Bilsen J.J.R., Vander Stichele R.H., Mortier F. Deliens L. (2004) Involvement of nurses in physician-assisted dying. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 47 (6 583 591.
15. Bittel N., Neuenschwander H. Stiefel F. (2001) Euthanasia: a survey by the Swiss Association for Palliative Care. Support Cancer Care, 10, 265 271.
16. Borry P., Schotsmans P. Dierickx K. (2005) The birth of the empirical turn in bioethics. Bioethics, 19 (1 49 71.
17. Boseley S. (2003). Nurses' leader backs bill to aid euthanasia. Available at: http://politics.guardian.co.uk/lords/story/0,9061,971718,00.html [accessed 20 August 2006 N.K., Thompson D.J., Bulger R.J. Laws E.H. (1971) How do nurses feel about euthanasia and abortion? American Journal of Nursing, 71 (7 1413 1416.
18. Cartwright C., Williams G.M., Parker M.H. Steinberg M.A. (2006) Does being against euthanasia legislation equate to being anti-euthanasia? Internal Medicine Journal, 36, 256 259.
19. Cohen J., Marcoux I., Bilsen J., Deboosere P., van der Wal G. Deliens L. (2006) European public acceptance of euthanasia: socio-demographic and cultural factors associated with the acceptance of euthanasia in 33 European countries. Social Science & Medicine, 63 (3 743 756.
20. Davis A.J., Davidson B., Hirschfield M. et al 1993) An international perspective of active euthanasia: attitudes of nurses in seven countries. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 30 (4 301 310.
21. Davis A.J., Phillips L., Drought T.S., Sellin S., Ronsman K. Hershberger A.K. (1995) Nurses' attitudes toward active euthanasia. Nursing Outlook, 43 (4 174 179.
22. DeGrazia D. Beauchamp T.L. (2001) Philosophy. In : Methods in Medical Ethics (eds S. Sugarman D. Sulmasy pp. 31 46. Georgetown University Press, Washington, DC.
23. Department of Health (2000) The NHS Plan: A Plan for Investment. A Plan for Reform. Department of Health, London.
24. Dickenson D.L. (2000) Are medical ethicists out of touch? Practitioner attitudes in the US and UK towards decisions at the end of life. Journal of Medical Ethics, 26, 254 260.
25. Dickinson G., Clark D., Winslow M. Marples R. (2005) US physicians' attitudes concerning euthanasia and physician-assisted death: a systematic literature review. Mortality, 10 (1 43 52.
26. Dignity in Dying (2006) Summary of YouGov poll, 8th-10th May 2006. Available at: http://www.dignityindying.org.uk/information/surveys.asp?id=198 [accessed 4 September 2006 D. Bryson C. (1996) Attitudes to euthanasia. In : British Social Attitudes, the 13th Report (eds R. Jowell, J. Curtice, A. Park, L. Brook K. Thompson). Ashgate, Dartmouth.
27. Dracup K. Bryan-Brown C.W. (1996) Nurses and euthanasia: a tale of two studies. American Journal of Critical Care, 5 (4 249 252.
28. Dworkin G., Frey R.G. Bok S. (1998) Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide (For and Against). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
29. Dyer C. (2006) UK House of Lords rejects physician assisted suicide. British Medical Journal, 332 (7551 1169.
30. Eagly A.H. Chaiken S. (1993) The Psychology of Attitudes. Harcourt Brace & Co, Orlando, FL.
31. Farsides B. (1998) Palliative care - a euthanasia-free zone? Journal of Medical Ethics, 24 (3 149 150.
32. Frankena W. (1973) Ethics, 2nd edn. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
33. Gastmans C., Lemiengre J. de Casterle B.D. (2006a) Development and communication of written ethics policies on euthanasia in Catholic hospitals and nursing homes in Belgium (Flanders). Patient Education and Counseling, 63 (1-2 188 195. (Pubitemid 44331547)
34. Gastmans C., Lemiengre J. de Casterle B.D. (2006b) Role of nurses in institutional ethics policies on euthanasia. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 54 (1 53 61.
35. Gillon R. (2003) Ethics needs principles - four can encompass the rest - and respect for autonomy should be 'first among equals'. Journal of Medical Ethics, 29 (5 307 312.
36. Glover J. (1977) Causing Death and Saving Lives, 2nd edn. Penghin, Harmondsworth.
37. Grubb A. (2001) Euthanasia in England - a law lacking compassion? European Journal of Health Law, 8, 89 93.
38. Hagelin J., Nilstun T., Hau J. Carlsson H.-E. (2004) Surveys on attitudes towards legalisation of euthanasia: importance of question phrasing. Journal of Medical Ethics, 30 (6 521 523.
39. Harris J. (1985) The Value of Life. Routledge, London.
40. Hartling O. (2006) Euthanasia - the illusion of autonomy. Medicine and Law, 25 (1 189 200.
41. Hemmings P. (2003) Dying wishes. Nursing Times, 99 (47 20 22.
42. Hermsen M.A. Have H.A. (2002) Euthanasia in palliative care journals. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 23 (6 517 525.
43. Ho R. (1998) Assessing attitudes toward euthanasia: an analysis of the subcategorical approach to right to die issues. Personality and Individual Difference, 35, 719 734.
44. Holm S. (1997) Ethical Problems in Clinical Practice. Manchester University Press, Manchester.
45. House of Lords (2001) Judgments - The Queen on the Application of Mrs Dianne Pretty (Appellant) v Director of Public Prosecutions (Respondent) and Secretary of State for the Home Department (Interested Party). Retrieved 2 February 2005, from http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200102/ldjudgmt/ jd011129/pretty-1.htm
46. House of Lords (2004) Select Committee on Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill Minutes of Evidence. Retrieved 1 August 2006, from http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200405/ldselect/ldasdy/86/41014p08. htm
47. House of Lords (2005). Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill [HL Retrieved 1 August 2006, from http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200506/ ldbills/036/06036.i.html
48. House of Lords (1994) Report of Select Committee on Medical Ethics. HMSO, London.
49. Keown J. (2002) Euthanasia, Ethics and Public Policy: An Argument against Legalisation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
50. Kissane D.W., Street A. Nitscheke P. (1998) Seven deaths in Darwin: case studies under the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act, Northern Territory, Australia. Lancet, 352 (9134 1097 1102.
51. Kitchener B.A. (1998) Nurse characteristics and attitudes to active voluntary euthanasia - a survey in the Australian Capital Territory. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 28 (1 70 76.
52. Kuhse H. Singer P. (1993) Voluntary euthanasia and the nurse: an Australian survey. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 30 (4 311 322.
53. Kumas G., Oztunc G. Alparslan Z.N. (2007) Intensive care unit nurses' opinions about euthanasia. Nursing Ethics, 14 (5 637 650.
54. Kuuppelomäki M. (2000) Attitudes of cancer patient, their family members and health professionals toward active euthanasia. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 9, 16 21.
55. LaPierre R.T. (1934) Attitude vs. actions. Social Forces, 13, 230 237.
56. Manstead A.S.R. (1996) Attitudes and behaviour. In : Applied Social Psychology (eds G.R. Semin K. Fiedler pp. 1 29. Sage, London.
57. Matzo M.L. Schwarz J.K. (2001) In their own words: oncology nurses respond to patient requests for assisted suicide and euthanasia. Applied Nursing Research: ANR, 14 (2 64 71.
58. Mawdsley C. (1997) Study says critical care nurses quick to aid in death of terminally ill: a research critique. Canadian Association of Critical Care Nursing, 8 (2 8 11.
59. McCabe H. (2007) Nursing involvement in euthanasia: how sound is the philosophical support? Nursing Philosophy, 8 (3 167 175.
60. McHale J., Fox M., Gunn M. Wilkinson S. (2006) Healthcare Law; Text, Cases and Materials, 2nd edn. Sweet & Maxwell, London.
61. McInerney F. Seibold C. (1995) Nurses' definitions of and attitudes towards euthanasia. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 22, 171 182.
62. McLean S.A.M. Britton A. (1996) Sometimes a Small Victory. Glasgow Institute of Law and Ethics in Medicine, Glasgow.
63. Minelli L.A. (2007) DIGNITAS in Switzerland - its philosophy, the legal situation, actual problems, and possibilities for Britons who wish to end their lives. Available at: http://www.dignitas.ch/WeitereTexte/FriendsAtTheEnd.pdf [accessed 10 July 2008 B., Stiggelbout A.M., Otten W., Dupuis H.M. Kievit J. (2004) Empirical data and moral theory. A plea for integrated empirical ethics. Medicine Health Care and Philosophy, 7, 55 69.
64. Muller M.T., Pijnenborg L., Onwuteaka-Philipsen B.D., van der Wal G. van Eijk J.T. (1997) The role of the nurse in active euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 26 (2 424 430. (Pubitemid 127453281)
65. Norton C. (1998 Doctor, will you help me die? Sunday Times, 15 November 1998.
66. Nursing and Midwifery Council (2008) The Code: Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics for Nurses and Midwives. Nursing & Midwifery Council, London.
67. Onwuteaka-Philipsen B.D., van der Heide A., Koper D., Keij-Deerenberg I., Rietjens J.A., Rurup M.L. et al 2003) Euthanasia and other end-of-life decisions in the Netherlands in 1990, 1995, and 2001. The Lancet, 362 (9381 395 399. (Pubitemid 36945072)
68. Pattinson S. (2006) Medical Law and Ethics. Sweet and Maxwell, London.
69. Pierce S.F. (1999) Allowing and assisting to die: the perspective of oncology practitioners. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 30 (3 616 622.
70. Plato (1975) Phaedo (tr. D. Gallop). Oxford University Press, Oxford.
71. Pyne R. Booth B. (1995) The euthanasia debate: how NT readers view the issues. Nursing Times, 91 (35 36 38.
72. Rachels J. (1997) Active and passive euthanasia. In : Can Ethics Provide Answers? (ed. J. Rachels pp. 63 68. Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham.
73. Regina v Cox (1992) 12 BLMR 38.
74. Richardson D.S. (1994) Oncology nurses' attitudes toward the legalization of voluntary active euthanasia. Cancer Nursing, 17 (4 348 354.
75. Rietjens J.A.C., van Delden J.M., van der Heide A. et al 2006) Terminal sedation and euthanasia. Archives of Internal Medicine, 166, 249 753.
76. Rogers J.R. (1996) Assessing right to die attitudes: a conceptually guided measurement tool. Journal of Social Issues, 52 (2 63 84.
77. Rosenfeld B. (2000) Methodological issues in assisted suicide and euthanasia research. Psychology, Public Policy and Law, 6 (2 559 574.
78. Ryynanen O.P., Myllykangas M., Viren M. Heino H. (2002) Attitudes towards euthanasia among physicians, nurses and the general public in Finland. Public Health, 116 (6 322 331.
79. Scanlon C. (1996) Euthanasia and nursing practice: right question, wrong answer. New England Journal of Medicine, 334 (21 1401 1402.
80. van de Scheur A. van der Arend A. (1998) The role of nurses in euthanasia: a Dutch study. Nursing Ethics, 5 (6 497 508.
81. van de Scheur G.G., van der Arend A.J.G., Abu-Saad H.H., Spreeuwenberg C., van Wijmen F.C.B. Meulen R.H.J. (2008) The role of nurses in euthanasia and physician assisted suicide in The Netherlands. Journal of Medical Ethics, 34, 254 258.
82. Seale C. (2006) National survey of end-of-life decisions made by UK medical practitioners. Palliative Medicine, 20 (1-8 3 10. (Pubitemid 43224655)
83. Shuman C.R., Fournet G.P., Zelhart P.F., Roland B.C. Estes R.E. (1992) Attitudes of registered nurses toward euthanasia. Death Studies, 16, 1 15.
84. Singer P. (1993) Practical Ethics, 2nd edn. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
85. Sommerville A. (2005) Changes in BMA policy on assisted dying. British Medical Journal, 331, 686 688.
86. Spanjer M. (1995) Nurses cannot assist suicide in the Netherlands. Lancet, 345, 849.
87. Stirrat G.M. Gill R. (2005) Autonomy in medical ethics after O'Neill. Journal of Medical Ethics, 31 (3 127 130.
88. Sulmasy D.P. Sugarman J. (2001) The many methods of medical ethics (or thirteen ways of looking at a blackbird). In : Methods in Medical Ethics (eds S. Sugarman D. Sulmasy pp. 3 18. Georgetown University Press, Washington, DC.
89. Takeo K., Satoh K., Minamisawa H. Mitoh T. (1991) Health workers attitudes towards euthanasia in Japan. International Nursing Review, 38 (2 45 48.
90. Tanida N., Asai A., Ohnishi M. et al 2002) Voluntary active euthanasia and the nurse: a comparison of Japanese and Australian nurses. Nursing Ethics, 9 (3 313 322.
91. Teisseyre N., Mullet E. Sorum P.C. (2005) Under what conditions is euthanasia acceptable to lay people and health professionals? Social Science and Medicine, 60 (2 357 368.
92. Tordella M.J. Neutens J.J. (1979) An instrument to appraise attitudes of college students towards euthanasia. The Journal of School Health, 49, 351 352.
93. Ubel P.A. Asch D.A. (1997) Semantic and moral debates about hastening death: a survey of bioethicists. The Journal of Clinical Ethics, 8 (3 242 249.
94. Verpoort C., Gastmans C., De Bal N. Dierckx de Casterle B. (2004a) Nurses' attitudes to euthanasia: a review of the literature. Nursing Ethics, 11 (4 349 365.
95. Verpoort C., Gastmans C. de Casterle B.D. (2004b) Palliative care nurses' views on euthanasia. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 47 (6 592 600.
96. Warnock M. MacDonald E. (2008) Easeful Death: Is There a Case for Assisted Dying. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
97. Wicker A.W. (1969) Attitude versus actions: the relationship of verbal and overt behavioral responses to attitude object. Journal of Social Issues, 25 (4 41 78.
98. Wilkes L.M. White K. (1995) Palliative care nurses' conflict of values. Journal of Cancer Care, 4, 97 100.
99. Wilkes L.M., White K. Tolley N. (1993) Euthanasia: a comparison of the lived experience of Chinese and Australian palliative care nurses. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 18, 95 102.
100. Winget C., Kapp F.T. Yeaworth R. (1977) Attitudes towards euthanasia. Journal of Medical Ethics, 3, 18 25.
101. Young M.G. Ogden R.D. (1998) End of life issues: a survey of English speaking Canadian nurses in AIDS care. Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 9 (2 18 25.