Attitudes of Intensive Care Units’ Women Nurses towards Euthanasia; Case Study of Ahvaz Hospitals, Iran

Due to the nature of their occupation, nurses are more likely to face dying patients and their demand for euthanasia than other people. This study aimed was to evaluate the nurses’ attitude in the ICU of Ahvaz educational hospitals towards euthanasia in 2018.

This study was conducted in 2018 in nurses of CCU, NICU, and ICU wards of Ahvaz teaching hospitals. 132 nurses were randomly entered into the study and their views on euthanasia and its types were assessed in the form of a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using independent T and Chi-square tests.

58.3% of nurses were against euthanasia and 41.7% were in favor. In voluntary passive euthanasia, the mean age of dissenting nurses was significantly higher than that of agreeing with nurses (p=0.003). In involuntary passive euthanasia, the average service history of dissenting nurses was significantly higher than that of agreeing with nurses (p=0.005). The average length of service in the intensive care units of anti-euthanasia nurses was significantly higher than the nurses who agreed with (p=0.002). Single nurses were significantly more in favor of euthanasia than married nurses (p=0.005). Nurses with a bachelor's degree were significantly more likely than nurses with a master's degree to oppose euthanasia (p=0.047). Nurses who had a person with a specific disease in their family were significantly more in favor of euthanasia than other nurses (p>0.001).

More than half of the nurses in the intensive care unit are against euthanasia and with increasing age, total service history and service history in the intensive care unit, the rate of opposition to euthanasia increases and if there is a terminally patient in the nurse family, the rate of opposition to euthanasia decreases.