BACKGROUND: Recently, the legal and ethical issues relative to euthanasia are becoming controversial in Korea. This study was designed to verify the differences of the attitudes on euthanasia between judicial apprentices and residents. METHODS: The questionnaire was conducted on the 35th-group of the judicial apprentices on March 24, 2004, and on the residents from April 2 to May 22, 2004. The respondents were 636 in total consisting of 460 judicial apprentices and 176 residents. RESULTS: Of the total 636 subjects, 373 (81.1%) of the judicial apprentices and 149 (84.7%) of residents agreed that allowing euthanasia is moral, without any significant difference (P>0.05). The number of residents was greater (59 people, 33.5%) than that of judicial apprentices (112 people, 24.4%) who agreed with active euthanasia (P<0.05). Among the total, 397 (86.3%) of the judicial apprentices and 160 (91.4%) of the residents answered that the law for euthanasia was necessary, without any significant difference (P>0.05). But, among these supporters, the respondents who agreed on active euthanasia were significantly different in number between judicial apprentices (n=93, 23.4%) and residents (n=54, 33.8%) (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: This study did not find any significant differences between the two groups in the necessity of the law for euthanasia, but the rate of agreement on active euthanasia was higher in residents group than in judicial apprentices group.
Surveys and Questionnaires ; Ethics ; Euthanasia* ; Euthanasia, Active ; Euthanasia, Passive ; Jurisprudence ; Korea

This study was done to develop an euthanasia attitude scale. Subjects who participated in the study were a convenience sample of 234 Korean nurses. Data were collected through a survey over a period of three months. The analysis of the data was done using SPSS PC for descriptive statistics, factor analysis and Cronbach's Coefficient Alpha. Initially 63 items were generated from interview data from eighteen nurses and from a literature review. This preliminary scale was analyzed for a reliability and validity. The results are as follow: 1. Crombach's Coefficient alpha for the 19 items was 0.8804. 2. Factor analysis was done in order to confirm construct validity and four factor were extracted from the results. These contributed 56.6% of the variance in the total score. 3. Each factor was labled 'quality of life', 'respect of life, 'client's right','medical ethics'. The author suggests that this scale could be used in assessing the attitude of Korean nurses toward euthanasia.
Euthanasia* ; Reproducibility of Results

Although the word 'euthanasia', a compound word of eu- (good, well) and thanatos (death) is widely known, it is greatly misunderstood. With regard to end-of-life medicine, several phrases, including death with dignity, passive euthanasia, and natural death also need to be clarified. A review of their meanings and connotations is provided along with a brief history of the discussion in Korea on forgoing life support. Korea has no law regarding the cessation of artificial ventilation, but several judgments of law courts provide us with a general principle that cessation could be applied if the patient is in an irreversible or dying condition medically, and has presented his or her intention with something like an advance directives, or is reasonably presumed to have such a will.
Advance Directives ; Euthanasia ; Euthanasia, Passive ; Humans ; Intention ; Judgment ; Jurisprudence ; Korea ; Right to Die ; Suicide, Assisted ; Ventilation

PURPOSE: This study has been designed to identify attitudes to euthanasia held by Korean nurses. METHOD: Data were collected through a survey, and the participants in the study were 234 Korean nurses. Convenience sampling method was used and analysis of the data was done with SPSS PC for descriptive statistics, t-test and ANOVA. RESULTS: 1. The mean score for euthanasia was 2.80, and the sub dimension mean scores were, patients' rights, 3.24, quality of life, 2.78, respect for life, 2.68, medical ethics, 2.50. 2. With respect to the general characteristics of participants there were statistically significant difference in total score according to religion (P=.01), and degree of influence of religion on behavior (P=.00). 3. There were statistically significant difference in score of quality of life according to religion (P=.04), degree of influence of religion on behavior (P=.00), decisions in euthanasia (P=0.04), and legal permission (P=.04). 4. There was statistically significant difference in score of patient's right according to legal permission (P=.04). 5. There were statistically significant difference in the score of respect for life according to religion (P=.00), degree of influence of religion on behavior (P=.00), decision in euthnasia (P=.00), and legal permission (P=.00).
Ethics, Medical ; Euthanasia ; Euthanasia, Passive* ; Patient Rights ; Quality of Life ; Value of Life

BACKGROUND: Medical decisions concerning the prolongation of life, the right to die and euthanasia are among the most extensively discussed issues within medicine and law today. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the attitudes of medical students and housestaff toward euthanasia. METHODS: From July 15 to September 15 of the 1998, the responses of 180 medical students and 132 housestaff to a self-administered questionnaire were analyzed to identify attitudes toward euthanasia. Over 312 respondents about attitudes toward euthanasia, the analysis of differences between proportions was made by the Chi-square test. RESULTS: About 69.9% of the respondents thought euthanasia should be legalized. The findings suggest that Buddhists (77.5%) and non-religious groups (88.1%) tend to support euthanasia more than Christians. Futhermore, medical students (74.4%) support euthanasia more than housestaffs(63.6%), male(75.1%) more often than female(57.9%). About 73.1% of the respondents said that active euthanasia is not justifiable, and 79.2% said that they do not like performing active euthanasia. In respect to passive euthanasia, 69.0% said that it is not ethically justifiable, but 63.0% would perform this as if it were legal. Housestaffs of internal medicine (76.9%) were more willing to do euthanasia than pediatrics (70.0%), surgery (63.6%), family practice (53.8%) and Ob/Gyn (33.3%). CONCLUSION: Respondents have positive attitudes toward legalization of euthanasia.. Most considered that passive euthanasia is not morally justifiable. But if it were legalized, they would be willing to do euthanasia, while they would still be disturbed by active euthanasia. The opinions of physician and medical students directly affect patient care and their attitudes must be considered if clear policies are to be developed concerning euthanasia.
Surveys and Questionnaires ; Euthanasia* ; Euthanasia, Active ; Euthanasia, Passive ; Family Practice ; Humans ; Internal Medicine ; Jurisprudence ; Life Support Care ; Patient Care ; Pediatrics ; Right to Die ; Students, Medical*

With development of new techniques for medical intervention, there has been a big dilemma for physicians about their decision when to stop treatment. Application of life-sustaining device sometimes results in a prolongation of painful period (dying process) for patients. Regarding the role of physician in the end-of-life decision, there could be two extremes : euthanasia vs. therapeutic tenacity (futility or accanimento terapeutico). Either extreme has its own limitations. One of possible solutions is an appropriate application of withholding and withdrawing interventions. However, several considerations are necessary for this. First, the clinical aspect of decision is whether a certain management is proportionate or non-proportionate for a given situation. If there is a chemotherapy regimen that has an efficacy of 15% partial response rate with side effects in the previous study, is it propotionate or non-proportionate treatment for advanced cancer patients? Other aspects of decision is regarding ethical, economical, and legal issues. One type of circumstances that may prompt claims of futility is the discrepancy between the values or goals of involved parties. Other concerns on futility issues are ① is it easy to break the bad news to dying patients in Korean culture? (communication problems at various levels) ② is social welfare system adequate enough not to interfere with a fair decision? Values on the issues like therapeutic decision and withholding life-sustaining treatments in terminally ill cancer patients are discordant between physicians and family members. To resolve controversies on the role of physicians as well as those of patients and their family members should be considered in the final decision.
Drug Therapy ; Euthanasia ; Humans ; Medical Futility ; Social Welfare ; Terminally Ill*

Euthanasia have received considerable attention recentely in medical literature, public discussion, and proposed state legislation. Almost all the discussion in this area has focused on the role of physicians. However, nurse may be in special position to understand the wishes of patients and to act on this understanding. Purpose of this study is to identity the meaning of euthanasia in terminal ill patients on the nurses' veiw. Forcused interveiw design was used to data collection The data were analyzed by semantic analysis, and analysis of the data resulted in identification of 14 categories representing the meaning of euthanasia. 1. The meaning of supported euthanasia is 'free of suffering', 'difficulty of economic status', 'right of patient and family', 'dignity of death', 'organ transplant', 'social legislation'. 2. The meaning of opposited euthanasia is 'artificial death', 'value of life', 'uncertainity', 'guilt feeling' 3. The meaning of care in terminalily ill patients is 'avoidance', 'powerlessness'. 'apathy', 'passive attitude'. The policy debate about professional roles in action that end of lives of patients must be extended nurses. Nurses must take an active role in discussion and definition of acceptable practice at the end of life.
Data Collection ; Euthanasia* ; Hospice Care ; Humans ; Nursing* ; Professional Role ; Semantics

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions and attitudes of nurses toward euthanasia. METHOD: In this descriptive study, data were collected from 485 nurses using a self-report questionnaire. The attitudes toward euthanasia scales were composed of four sub dimensions; quality of life, client's right, respect for life and medical ethics. The data were analyzed with descriptive and parametric statistics using SPSS WIN program. RESULTS: Of the nurses, 84.7% were in agreement with constituting a law for euthanasia and 57.6% accepted passive euthanasia. Further, 80.1% would accept euthanasia for their own end-of-life situation. The most frequent reason for pro euthanasia was pain relief, and for con, respect for life. The mean attitude score was 54.64 and that of sub dimensions were 2.81 for quality of life, 3.21 for client's right, 2.87 for respect for life, and 2.84 for medical ethics. The nurses who were positive in their thinking about euthanasia had higher attitude scores. Among general characteristics of the nurses, attitudes scores were significantly different according to religion. CONCLUSION: Although many nurses had a positive concept of euthanasia, they still have ethical dilemmas in life-sustaining care. Therefore training programs on moral rights are necessary to provide guidelines for end-of-life care.
Education ; Ethics, Medical ; Euthanasia* ; Euthanasia, Passive ; Human Rights ; Jurisprudence ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Thinking ; Value of Life ; Weights and Measures

The purpose of this study was to explore the attitude of student nurses to euthanasia. The convenient sample for this study consisted of 293 nursing students at a nursing college in Kyeongi Province. The data were collected from Oct. 15, 2002 to Oct. 30, 2002 and were analyzed using frequency, percentage, and X2-test with the SAS package. The results of this study are as follow :77.1% of students agreed to passive euthanasia and 70.6% subjects agreed to legalization of passive euthanasia.78.5% of students can given an exact explanation of the concept of hospice. They obtained information about hospice from the mass media (1.1%), books (30.0%), friends and neighbors (3.4%), and religious groups (2.4%). The preferred place for death was reported to be home (75.4%), hospital (9.4%) or a peaceful place (6.3%).Fears of facing death were suffering in death (23.4%), grief of remaining family (21.2%), unknown about the other world (10.0%), separation from people who are loved (9.7%), forgotten from the people's memory(6.3%). In conclusion, the attitude of student nurses toward passive euthanasia approached a positive direction. But euthanasia was seen as dangerous and having multiple problems. Therefore the training for student nurses as health professionals should include content on dealing with hospice care and euthanasia.
Euthanasia* ; Euthanasia, Passive ; Friends ; Grief ; Health Occupations ; Hospice Care ; Hospices ; Humans ; Love ; Mass Media ; Nursing ; Students, Nursing

Artificial abortion and euthanasia are serious ethical Issues in medical field. However, the ways to solve them would be different according to the culture and customs of a country. In Korea, the rate of artificial abortion is so high that many people tend to consider it as a personal misfortune rather than an ethical mischief. National policy to control the population and souety's traditional preference for sons over daughters have fostered the tendency. For euthanasia, especially "passive euthanasia", most Korean people think it acceptable if under proper condition, and many doctors consent to it. In such circumstances, it is not much of necessity to debate on the ethical righteousness of artificial abortion or woman's right to choose it. More important thing is how we can reduce the number of abortion cases and protect woman's health against the side effects of "unnecessary" abortion. Proper education, public relation, and cooperation with civil or religious groups will be helpful to achieve this goal, and we physicians should try to do it. "Passive euthanasia" is thought to be ethically acceptable in the view of traditional customs, social justice, and welfare of the patient. However, "active euthanasia" harbors great ethical risks in current situation. Therefore, we should prepare and establish a proper process and system that patients, doctors, and the whole society can accept. "Advance directives" or "living will" would be good options if well modified to our culture. For all these, the education and training of professinals in this area is urgent.
Education ; Ethics ; Ethics, Medical ; Euthanasia* ; Humans ; Korea* ; Nuclear Family ; Social Justice ; Women's Health ; Women's Rights