Attitudes towards Euthanasia among physicians and patients: a cross sectional survey from Malaysia

Introduction: The term euthanasia or Mercy killing is in essence the termination of life of a terminally ill patient at his request or in his interest. Due to increase in ageing population with extremely limited physical and mental capacities, the issue is being discussed in a number of jurisdi...

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Main Authors:	Rathor, Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Rani, Mohammed Fauzi, Mohd Shah, Azarisman Shah, Omar, Ahmad Marzuki, Osman, Ariff
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	Eubios Ethics Institute 2010
Subjects:	R Medicine (General)
Online Access:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/23683/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/23683/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/23683/1/Attitudes_towards_Euthanasia.pdf

id	iium-23683
recordtype	eprints
spelling	iium-236832015-05-08T06:41:58Z http://irep.iium.edu.my/23683/ Attitudes towards Euthanasia among physicians and patients: a cross sectional survey from Malaysia Rathor, Mohammad Yousuf Abdul Rani, Mohammed Fauzi Mohd Shah, Azarisman Shah Omar, Ahmad Marzuki Osman, Ariff R Medicine (General) Introduction: The term euthanasia or Mercy killing is in essence the termination of life of a terminally ill patient at his request or in his interest. Due to increase in ageing population with extremely limited physical and mental capacities, the issue is being discussed in a number of jurisdictions in favour of its legalization. However there is intense public debate and controversy among its proponents and opponents. The controversy regarding its practice is essentially a controversy about ethics and morality. Virtually all of the research in this field has been with Western, largely Christian, populations. There is a pressing need for more cross-cultural, international collaborative studies on the subject. Aim of the study: The present ongoing study has some promise since it samples a population of patients and physicians who are multi-racial and multi-faith. We want to ascertain the prevalent beliefs and views among patients and physicians in Malaysia. Concomitantly we want to ascertain the frequency of requests for assistance in active euthanasia. Methods: Trained research assistant administered questionnaire to a convenience sample of consenting patients and physicians. The influence of a number of independent variables such as cultural and religious beliefs, age and gender will also be investigated, as it is believed that they have a great influence on most individualsʼ attitudes towards euthanasia. A cross-cultural perspective and attitude towards euthanasia could enrich our understanding and thus provide insights for societal stability. The interim results of our findings: The majority of patients were male (62.9%), Malay Muslims (75.4%) and had primary (32.5%) or secondary (48.6%) education. Nearly all patients and doctors believed in the existence of God and life after death. Only a quarter of physicians agreed with euthanasia, while among patients only 6.4% agreed with euthanasia and 92% had a hope of cure. The full paper along with final results will be published once the study is complete. Eubios Ethics Institute 2010-11 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/23683/1/Attitudes_towards_Euthanasia.pdf Rathor, Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Rani, Mohammed Fauzi and Mohd Shah, Azarisman Shah and Omar, Ahmad Marzuki and Osman, Ariff (2010) Attitudes towards Euthanasia among physicians and patients: a cross sectional survey from Malaysia. Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics, 20 (6 SupB). pp. 233-234. ISSN 1173-2571 http://www.eubios.info/EJAIB112010suppICEP.pdf
repository_type	Digital Repository
institution_category	Local University
institution	International Islamic University Malaysia
building	IIUM Repository
collection	Online Access
language	English
topic	R Medicine (General)
spellingShingle	R Medicine (General) Rathor, Mohammad Yousuf Abdul Rani, Mohammed Fauzi Mohd Shah, Azarisman Shah Omar, Ahmad Marzuki Osman, Ariff Attitudes towards Euthanasia among physicians and patients: a cross sectional survey from Malaysia
description	Introduction: The term euthanasia or Mercy killing is in essence the termination of life of a terminally ill patient at his request or in his interest. Due to increase in ageing population with extremely limited physical and mental capacities, the issue is being discussed in a number of jurisdictions in favour of its legalization. However there is intense public debate and controversy among its proponents and opponents. The controversy regarding its practice is essentially a controversy about ethics and morality. Virtually all of the research in this field has been with Western, largely Christian, populations. There is a pressing need for more cross-cultural, international collaborative studies on the subject. Aim of the study: The present ongoing study has some promise since it samples a population of patients and physicians who are multi-racial and multi-faith. We want to ascertain the prevalent beliefs and views among patients and physicians in Malaysia. Concomitantly we want to ascertain the frequency of requests for assistance in active euthanasia. Methods: Trained research assistant administered questionnaire to a convenience sample of consenting patients and physicians. The influence of a number of independent variables such as cultural and religious beliefs, age and gender will also be investigated, as it is believed that they have a great influence on most individualsʼ attitudes towards euthanasia. A cross-cultural perspective and attitude towards euthanasia could enrich our understanding and thus provide insights for societal stability. The interim results of our findings: The majority of patients were male (62.9%), Malay Muslims (75.4%) and had primary (32.5%) or secondary (48.6%) education. Nearly all patients and doctors believed in the existence of God and life after death. Only a quarter of physicians agreed with euthanasia, while among patients only 6.4% agreed with euthanasia and 92% had a hope of cure. The full paper along with final results will be published once the study is complete.
format	Article
author	Rathor, Mohammad Yousuf Abdul Rani, Mohammed Fauzi Mohd Shah, Azarisman Shah Omar, Ahmad Marzuki Osman, Ariff
author_facet	Rathor, Mohammad Yousuf Abdul Rani, Mohammed Fauzi Mohd Shah, Azarisman Shah Omar, Ahmad Marzuki Osman, Ariff
author_sort	Rathor, Mohammad Yousuf
title	Attitudes towards Euthanasia among physicians and patients: a cross sectional survey from Malaysia
title_short	Attitudes towards Euthanasia among physicians and patients: a cross sectional survey from Malaysia
title_full	Attitudes towards Euthanasia among physicians and patients: a cross sectional survey from Malaysia
title_fullStr	Attitudes towards Euthanasia among physicians and patients: a cross sectional survey from Malaysia
title_full_unstemmed	Attitudes towards Euthanasia among physicians and patients: a cross sectional survey from Malaysia
title_sort	attitudes towards euthanasia among physicians and patients: a cross sectional survey from malaysia
publisher	Eubios Ethics Institute
publishDate	2010
url	http://irep.iium.edu.my/23683/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/23683/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/23683/1/Attitudes_towards_Euthanasia.pdf
first_indexed	2023-09-18T20:35:48Z
last_indexed	2023-09-18T20:35:48Z
_version_	1777409036970360832

Attitudes towards Euthanasia among physicians and patients: a cross sectional survey from Malaysia

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