Finnish nurses’ attitudes towards their role in the euthanasia process
Background:
Nurses’ voices remain unheard in most debates about euthanasia, although their crucial role in the euthanasia process is widely acknowledged. Moreover, in Canadian euthanasia law, nurses have a more active role, which further highlights the need for knowledge about nurses’ attitudes towards their role in the euthanasia process.
Research questions:
What are Finnish nurses’ attitudes towards their potential role in the euthanasia process? Which characteristics are associated with those attitudes?
Research design:
Cross-sectional web-based survey.
Participants and research context:
1003 nurses, recruited via social media and the members’ bulletin of the Finnish Nurses Association.
Ethical considerations:
Ethical approval was obtained from the Committee on Research Ethics of the university to which the first author was affiliated.
Findings:
The great majority (85.2%) of nurses felt that their perspective should be considered in decision-making related to euthanasia. Furthermore, most of the participants (74.7%) reported willingness to participate in the euthanasia process if it were legal, and 88.6% agreed that a nurse should be present when euthanasia is performed if the patient wishes so. Furthermore, over half agreed that some of the preparatory tasks were part of their job description. However, a minority (32.9%) agreed with a possible obligation to participate based on their profession. Nurses’ age, religiosity and educational level influenced their attitudes in the current results.
Discussion:
Despite the strong agreement on decision-making concerning euthanasia and participation in the euthanasia process, obligation to participate based on the profession was rejected by most participants. Nurses regarded themselves as consultants in the decision-making process, which may indicate their unwillingness to share the responsibility for the decision itself.
Conclusion:
Specific safety mechanisms should be considered to protect nurses who refuse to be involved in the euthanasia process due to harm that involuntary participation might cause.
