Attitudes and behaviors of medical specialty students working at Manisa Celal Bayar University Faculty of medicine towards death, terminal patients and euthanasia

Introduction: Euthanasia, which refers to the medical termination of life at the request of an individual in order to relieve suffering, pain and disability associated with terminal illness. The practice of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide is ethically and legally controversial in different regions and countries around the world. Some countries have laws that permit the use of euthanasia and physician-assisted death under certain conditions. During their training and professional careers, physicians will encounter situations involving terminal illness and the management of death, and they need to be equipped to deal with this process. The aim of our study is to determine the attitudes and views of medical students towards death, the terminally ill and euthanasia, and to contribute to the literature. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out on resident doctors undergoing residency training at Manisa Celal Bayar University Faculty of Medicine. A questionnaire form was used that included demographic data, educational information, attitudes towards terminal illness and the Attitude Scale on Death, Euthanasia and Terminal Patients (ÖTÖ). The collected data were analysed and the internal consistency of the ÖTÖ scale was found to be 0.81. Results: A total of 237 resident physicians participated in our study, and the mean age of the participants was calculated to be 28.63±3.06 years. Of the participants, 53.5% were female. 30% of the participating physicians had more than four years of professional experience. Female physicians had more positive attitudes towards terminal patients, death and euthanasia than male physicians. Marital status, family history of chronic illness, and experience of intensive care did not significantly influence these attitudes. In addition, doctors from different specialties had similar views on euthanasia and terminal patients, regardless of their years of experience and residency. Physicians working in basic science departments had less favourable attitudes towards terminally ill patients and their families than physicians working in other departments. Conclusion: Most of the physicians (82.2%) who participated in our study think that euthanasia can be performed even though it is a legally considered crime in our country and many other countries. 66.7% of the participants in the study stated that euthanasia could be applied to people in deep coma, 64.1% to cancer patients, and 51.5% to people with genetic diseases. These answers given by physicians who are closely involved with euthanasia show that euthanasia is an issue that needs to be discussed. In the light of this information, we believe that euthanasia practices and regulations in other countries should be understood, and the conditions specific to our country should be investigated and appropriate approaches should be developed. Keywords: Attitude Scale Towards Euthanasia, Death, Euthanasia and The Terminally İllness.