Affiliations: Selbständige Abteilung für Medizinische
Psychologie und Medizinische Soziologie, Universitätsklinikum Leipzig,
Philipp-Rosenthal-Straße 55, 04103 Leipzig | Klinik für Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie,
Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Ludwigstraße 76, 35392
Gießen
Note: [] Korrespondenzadresse: Prof. Dr. phil. habil. Christina
Schröder, Selbständige Abteilung für Medizinische Psychologie
und Medizinische Soziologie, Universitätsklinikum Leipzig,
Philipp-Rosenthal-Straße 55, 04103 Leipzig. Tel.: 0341 97 18812; Fax:
0341 97 18809; E-mail: christina.schroeder@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
Abstract: Problem: The medical decisions at the end of life are increasingly
gaining significance in modern medicine. Therefore, the attitudes of medical
students towards euthanasia are of particular interest. Method: The aim of the study was to compare the attitudes of 231
medical students from Leipzig and Giessen (Germany) with those of the general
population in Germany (1957 subjects) with the use of a specially developed
questionnaire. Various ranges of frequency were tested for significance. Basic
differences between sociodemographic groups can be seen in subgroups
comparisons. Results: Medical students agreed significantly more often with legal
forms of medically assisted death (83.2% indirect; 94% passive euthanasia) than
did the general population (63.4% indirect; 71.2% passive euthanasia). The
precondition of unreleasable pain was more important for the students than for
the general population. In this case the rate of students argument with giving
of active euthanasia was 29.3% and the general population was 19.8%. Medical
students also indicate having a more paternalistic approach towards the
decision making process concerning euthanasia. This is particularly true in
comparison with the younger sector of the general population. Students showed
an identical reserve as the general population concerning the hypothetical
personal utilization of delimited forms of euthanasia. Conclusions: The interviewed medical students integrate the legal
forms of euthanasia with the occupational image of a physician. The desire for
paternalistic decision competencies should be discussed and specifically
included in the ethical dimension of medical training.
Keywords: Euthanasia, medical students, general population, medical ethics
