• Efi Parpa, Kyriaki Mystakidou, Eleni Tsilika, Pavlos Sakkas, Elisabeth Patiraki, Kyriaki Pistevou-Gombaki, Ourania Govina, and Lambros Vlahos.
• Pain Relief and Palliative Care Unit, Dept. of Radiology, Areteion Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Athens, Greece.
• Med Sci Law. 2008 Oct 1; 48 (4): 333-41.

AbstractThe aim of this study was to investigate the opinions of physicians and nurses on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in advanced cancer patients in Greece. Two hundred and fifteen physicians and 250 nurses from various hospitals in Greece completed a questionnaire concerning issues on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. More physicians (43.3%) than nurses (3.2%, p < 0.0005) reported that in the case of a cardiac or respiratory arrest, they would not attempt to revive a terminally ill cancer patient. Only 1.9% of physicians and 3.6% of nurses agreed on physician-assisted suicide. Forty-seven per cent of physicians and 45.2% of nurses would prefer the legalization of a terminally ill patient's hastened death; in the case of such a request, 64.2% of physicians and 55.2% of nurses (p = 0.06) would consider it if it was legal. The majority of the participants tended to disagree with euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide in terminally ill cancer patients, probably due to the fact that these acts in Greece are illegal.

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