Attitudes of Nurses and the General Public Towards Euthanasia on Individuals with Dementia and Cognitive Impairment

Abstract

Despite the increasing prevalence of dementia, little is known about individuals' attitudes towards euthanasia on patients with dementia or cognitive impairment. Nurses (n = 1003) and representatives of the general public (n = 2796), recruited via social media and the Finnish Nurses Association, completed an electronic questionnaire in 2014. Euthanasia due to severe dementia was approved by 54.6% of nurses and 64.4% of the general public. Depending on the age of the patient, between 50.0% and 54.7% of nurses and between 58.3% and 60.9% of the general public supported euthanasia on patients with severe cognitive impairment. The attitudes towards euthanasia due to dementia or cognitive impairment are slightly more accepting among the general public than among nurses. Apart from religiosity, none of the background factors were found to be reliable predictors of individuals' attitudes. Additional research is needed to describe the underlying reasons for the attitudes.