Doctors' and nurses' attitudes towards and experiences of voluntary euthanasia:

Objective?To demonstrate Japanese doctors' and nurses' attitudes towards and practices of voluntary euthanasia (VE) and to compare their attitudes and practices in this regard. Design?Postal survey, conducted between October and December 1999, using a s elf-administered questionnaire. Participants?All doctor members and nurse members of the Japanese Association of Palliative Medicine. Main outcome measure?Doctors' and nurses' attitude towards and practices of VE. Results?We received 366 completed questionnaires from 642 doctors surveyed (response rate, 58%) and 145 from 217 nurses surveyed (68%). A total of 54% (95% confidence interval (CI): 49-59) of the responding doctors and 53%> (CI: 45-61) of the responding nurses had been asked by patients to hasten death, of whom 5% (CI: 2-8) of the former and none of the latter had taken active steps to bring about