Attitudes towards Euthanasia among physicians and patients: a cross sectional survey from Malaysia
Introduction: The term euthanasia or Mercy killing is in essence the termination of life of a terminally ill patient at his request or in his interest. Due to increase in ageing population with extremely limited physical and mental capacities, the issue is being discussed in a number of jurisdi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Eubios Ethics Institute
2010
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| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/23683/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/23683/1/Attitudes_towards_Euthanasia.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848779196228173824 |
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| author | Rathor, Mohammad Yousuf Abdul Rani, Mohammed Fauzi Mohd Shah, Azarisman Shah Omar, Ahmad Marzuki Osman, Ariff |
| author_facet | Rathor, Mohammad Yousuf Abdul Rani, Mohammed Fauzi Mohd Shah, Azarisman Shah Omar, Ahmad Marzuki Osman, Ariff |
| author_sort | Rathor, Mohammad Yousuf |
| building | IIUM Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Introduction: The term euthanasia or Mercy
killing is in essence the termination of life of a
terminally ill patient at his request or in his interest.
Due to increase in ageing population with extremely
limited physical and mental capacities, the issue is
being discussed in a number of jurisdictions in favour
of its legalization. However there is intense public
debate and controversy among its proponents and opponents. The controversy regarding its practice is
essentially a controversy about ethics and morality.
Virtually all of the research in this field has been with
Western, largely Christian, populations. There is a
pressing need for more cross-cultural, international
collaborative studies on the subject. Aim of the
study: The present ongoing study has some promise
since it samples a population of patients and
physicians who are multi-racial and multi-faith. We
want to ascertain the prevalent beliefs and views
among patients and physicians in Malaysia.
Concomitantly we want to ascertain the frequency of
requests for assistance in active euthanasia.
Methods: Trained research assistant administered
questionnaire to a convenience sample of consenting
patients and physicians. The influence of a number
of independent variables such as cultural and
religious beliefs, age and gender will also be
investigated, as it is believed that they have a great
influence on most individualsʼ attitudes towards
euthanasia. A cross-cultural perspective and attitude
towards euthanasia could enrich our understanding
and thus provide insights for societal stability. The
interim results of our findings: The majority of
patients were male (62.9%), Malay Muslims (75.4%)
and had primary (32.5%) or secondary (48.6%)
education. Nearly all patients and doctors believed in
the existence of God and life after death. Only a
quarter of physicians agreed with euthanasia, while
among patients only 6.4% agreed with euthanasia
and 92% had a hope of cure. The full paper along
with final results will be published once the study is
complete. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T15:13:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | iium-23683 |
| institution | International Islamic University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T15:13:56Z |
| publishDate | 2010 |
| publisher | Eubios Ethics Institute |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | iium-236832015-05-08T06:41:58Z http://irep.iium.edu.my/23683/ Attitudes towards Euthanasia among physicians and patients: a cross sectional survey from Malaysia Rathor, Mohammad Yousuf Abdul Rani, Mohammed Fauzi Mohd Shah, Azarisman Shah Omar, Ahmad Marzuki Osman, Ariff R Medicine (General) Introduction: The term euthanasia or Mercy killing is in essence the termination of life of a terminally ill patient at his request or in his interest. Due to increase in ageing population with extremely limited physical and mental capacities, the issue is being discussed in a number of jurisdictions in favour of its legalization. However there is intense public debate and controversy among its proponents and opponents. The controversy regarding its practice is essentially a controversy about ethics and morality. Virtually all of the research in this field has been with Western, largely Christian, populations. There is a pressing need for more cross-cultural, international collaborative studies on the subject. Aim of the study: The present ongoing study has some promise since it samples a population of patients and physicians who are multi-racial and multi-faith. We want to ascertain the prevalent beliefs and views among patients and physicians in Malaysia. Concomitantly we want to ascertain the frequency of requests for assistance in active euthanasia. Methods: Trained research assistant administered questionnaire to a convenience sample of consenting patients and physicians. The influence of a number of independent variables such as cultural and religious beliefs, age and gender will also be investigated, as it is believed that they have a great influence on most individualsʼ attitudes towards euthanasia. A cross-cultural perspective and attitude towards euthanasia could enrich our understanding and thus provide insights for societal stability. The interim results of our findings: The majority of patients were male (62.9%), Malay Muslims (75.4%) and had primary (32.5%) or secondary (48.6%) education. Nearly all patients and doctors believed in the existence of God and life after death. Only a quarter of physicians agreed with euthanasia, while among patients only 6.4% agreed with euthanasia and 92% had a hope of cure. The full paper along with final results will be published once the study is complete. Eubios Ethics Institute 2010-11 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/23683/1/Attitudes_towards_Euthanasia.pdf Rathor, Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Rani, Mohammed Fauzi and Mohd Shah, Azarisman Shah and Omar, Ahmad Marzuki and Osman, Ariff (2010) Attitudes towards Euthanasia among physicians and patients: a cross sectional survey from Malaysia. Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics, 20 (6 SupB). pp. 233-234. ISSN 1173-2571 http://www.eubios.info/EJAIB112010suppICEP.pdf |
| spellingShingle | R Medicine (General) Rathor, Mohammad Yousuf Abdul Rani, Mohammed Fauzi Mohd Shah, Azarisman Shah Omar, Ahmad Marzuki Osman, Ariff Attitudes towards Euthanasia among physicians and patients: a cross sectional survey from Malaysia |
| title | Attitudes towards Euthanasia among physicians and patients: a cross sectional survey from Malaysia |
| title_full | Attitudes towards Euthanasia among physicians and patients: a cross sectional survey from Malaysia |
| title_fullStr | Attitudes towards Euthanasia among physicians and patients: a cross sectional survey from Malaysia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Attitudes towards Euthanasia among physicians and patients: a cross sectional survey from Malaysia |
| title_short | Attitudes towards Euthanasia among physicians and patients: a cross sectional survey from Malaysia |
| title_sort | attitudes towards euthanasia among physicians and patients: a cross sectional survey from malaysia |
| topic | R Medicine (General) |
| url | http://irep.iium.edu.my/23683/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/23683/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/23683/1/Attitudes_towards_Euthanasia.pdf |