Several states in the US allow for physician-assisted suicide - What additional training do those physicians receive for the death and dying discussion? I am evaluating this from a Psycho-Oncological perspective.
Dear Michell,
Based on a swedish paper it is age that changes a person's attitude towards death; it may also be that older physicians are more immune towards death-related issues. On the other hand, 17% of students who choose to become doctors are inclined to be less emphatetic. The answer to this question has many dimensions.
Physician-assisted suicide: a survey of attitudes among Swedish physicians
Anna Lindblad et al. Scand J Public Health September 2008 vol. 36 no. 7 720-727
Conclusions: Despite the fact that the World Medical Association condemns physician-assisted suicide as unethical, the present survey indicates that there is no clear majority for or against physician-assisted suicide among Swedish physicians, and that significantly more elderly physicians have an accepting attitude towards physician-assisted suicide. There is a need for further research explaining the differences between the age groups as well as the variation between specialities.
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