Attitudes toward euthanasia and related issues among physicians and patients in a multi-cultural society of Malaysia

Introduction: Due to globalization and changes in the health care delivery system, there has been a gradual change in the attitude of the medical community as well as the lay public toward greater acceptance of euthanasia as an option for terminally ill and dying patients. Physicians in developing...

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Main Authors:	Rathor, Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Rani, Mohammad Fauzi, Shahar, Mohammad Arif, Ab Rahman, Jamalludin, Che Abdullah, Shahrin Tarmizi, Omar, Ahmad Marzuki, Mohamad Shah, Azarisman Shah
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	Wolters Kluwer India Pvt. Ltd. 2014
Subjects:	R Medicine (General)
Online Access:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/49768/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/49768/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/49768/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/49768/1/JFamMedPrimaryCare33230-2225569_061055_%281%29.pdf

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spelling	iium-497682018-11-26T05:11:48Z http://irep.iium.edu.my/49768/ Attitudes toward euthanasia and related issues among physicians and patients in a multi-cultural society of Malaysia Rathor, Mohammad Yousuf Abdul Rani, Mohammad Fauzi Shahar, Mohammad Arif Ab Rahman, Jamalludin Che Abdullah, Shahrin Tarmizi Omar, Ahmad Marzuki Mohamad Shah, Azarisman Shah R Medicine (General) Introduction: Due to globalization and changes in the health care delivery system, there has been a gradual change in the attitude of the medical community as well as the lay public toward greater acceptance of euthanasia as an option for terminally ill and dying patients. Physicians in developing countries come across situations where such issues are raised with increasing frequency. As euthanasia has gained world‑wide prominence, the objectives of our study therefore were to explore the attitude of physicians and chronically ill patients toward euthanasia and related issues. Concomitantly, we wanted to ascertain the frequency of requests for assistance in active euthanasia. Materials and Methods: Questionnaire based survey among consenting patients and physicians. Results: The majority of our physicians and patients did not support active euthanasia or physician‑assisted suicide (EAS), no matter what the circumstances may be P < 0.001. Both opposed to its legalization P < 0.001. Just 15% of physicians reported that they were asked by patients for assistance in dying. Both physicians 29.2% and patients 61.5% were in favor of withdrawing or withholding life‑sustaining treatment to a patient with no chances of survival. Among patients no significant differences were observed for age, marital status, or underlying health status. Conclusions: A significant percentage of surveyed respondents were against EAS or its legalization. Patient views were primarily determined by religious beliefs rather than the disease severity. More debates on the matter are crucial in the ever‑evolving world of clinical medicine. Wolters Kluwer India Pvt. Ltd. 2014-07 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/49768/1/JFamMedPrimaryCare33230-2225569_061055_%281%29.pdf Rathor, Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Rani, Mohammad Fauzi and Shahar, Mohammad Arif and Ab Rahman, Jamalludin and Che Abdullah, Shahrin Tarmizi and Omar, Ahmad Marzuki and Mohamad Shah, Azarisman Shah (2014) Attitudes toward euthanasia and related issues among physicians and patients in a multi-cultural society of Malaysia. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 3 (3). pp. 230-237. ISSN 2249-4863 E-ISSN 2278-7135 http://www.jfmpc.com/temp/JFamMedPrimaryCare33230-8089563_222815.pdf 10.4103/2249-4863.141616
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, Mohammad Fauzi Shahar, Mohammad Arif Ab Rahman, Jamalludin Che Abdullah, Shahrin Tarmizi Omar, Ahmad Marzuki Mohamad Shah, Azarisman Shah Attitudes toward euthanasia and related issues among physicians and patients in a multi-cultural society of Malaysia
description	Introduction: Due to globalization and changes in the health care delivery system, there has been a gradual change in the attitude of the medical community as well as the lay public toward greater acceptance of euthanasia as an option for terminally ill and dying patients. Physicians in developing countries come across situations where such issues are raised with increasing frequency. As euthanasia has gained world‑wide prominence, the objectives of our study therefore were to explore the attitude of physicians and chronically ill patients toward euthanasia and related issues. Concomitantly, we wanted to ascertain the frequency of requests for assistance in active euthanasia. Materials and Methods: Questionnaire based survey among consenting patients and physicians. Results: The majority of our physicians and patients did not support active euthanasia or physician‑assisted suicide (EAS), no matter what the circumstances may be P < 0.001. Both opposed to its legalization P < 0.001. Just 15% of physicians reported that they were asked by patients for assistance in dying. Both physicians 29.2% and patients 61.5% were in favor of withdrawing or withholding life‑sustaining treatment to a patient with no chances of survival. Among patients no significant differences were observed for age, marital status, or underlying health status. Conclusions: A significant percentage of surveyed respondents were against EAS or its legalization. Patient views were primarily determined by religious beliefs rather than the disease severity. More debates on the matter are crucial in the ever‑evolving world of clinical medicine.
format	Article
author	Rathor, Mohammad Yousuf Abdul Rani, Mohammad Fauzi Shahar, Mohammad Arif Ab Rahman, Jamalludin Che Abdullah, Shahrin Tarmizi Omar, Ahmad Marzuki Mohamad Shah, Azarisman Shah
author_facet	Rathor, Mohammad Yousuf Abdul Rani, Mohammad Fauzi Shahar, Mohammad Arif Ab Rahman, Jamalludin Che Abdullah, Shahrin Tarmizi Omar, Ahmad Marzuki Mohamad Shah, Azarisman Shah
author_sort	Rathor, Mohammad Yousuf
title	Attitudes toward euthanasia and related issues among physicians and patients in a multi-cultural society of Malaysia
title_short	Attitudes toward euthanasia and related issues among physicians and patients in a multi-cultural society of Malaysia
title_full	Attitudes toward euthanasia and related issues among physicians and patients in a multi-cultural society of Malaysia
title_fullStr	Attitudes toward euthanasia and related issues among physicians and patients in a multi-cultural society of Malaysia
title_full_unstemmed	Attitudes toward euthanasia and related issues among physicians and patients in a multi-cultural society of Malaysia
title_sort	attitudes toward euthanasia and related issues among physicians and patients in a multi-cultural society of malaysia
publisher	Wolters Kluwer India Pvt. Ltd.
publishDate	2014
url	http://irep.iium.edu.my/49768/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/49768/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/49768/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/49768/1/JFamMedPrimaryCare33230-2225569_061055_%281%29.pdf
first_indexed	2023-09-18T21:10:20Z
last_indexed	2023-09-18T21:10:20Z
_version_	1777411209722593280

Attitudes toward euthanasia and related issues among physicians and patients in a multi-cultural society of Malaysia

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