Irish views on death and dying: a national survey

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dc.contributor.authorMcCarthy, Joan
dc.contributor.authorWeafer, John A.
dc.contributor.authorLoughrey, Mark
dc.contributor.funderIrish Hospice Foundationen
dc.date.accessioned2011-12-14T14:11:36Z
dc.date.available2011-12-14T14:11:36Z
dc.date.issued2010
dc.date.updated2011-12-09T12:21:03Z
dc.description.abstractObjective: To determine the public's understanding of and views about a range of ethical issues in relation to death and dying. Design: Random, digit-dialling, telephone interview. Setting: Ireland. Participants: 667 adult individuals. Results: The general public are unfamiliar with terms associated with end-of-life care. Although most want to be informed if they have a terminal illness, they also value family support in this regard. Most of the respondents believe that competent patients have the right to refuse life-saving treatment. Most also (mistakenly) believe that families, either alone or with physicians, have the authority to make decisions about starting or stopping treatment for incompetent patients. Most Irish people are more concerned about the quality of their dying than death itself. Religious commitment is important to most Irish people, and this impacts on their views about medical treatment and care at the end of life. Conclusions: The study paints a picture of a general public that is not very comfortable with or informed about the processes of dying and death. Great sensitivity is required of health professionals who must negotiate the timing and the context of breaking of bad news with patients and families. Educational interventions, public and organisational policies and legislation need to address the uncertainty that surrounds the role of professionals and families in making decisions for dying patients.en
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.description.versionPublished Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationMcCarthy J, Weafer J and Loughrey M; (2010) 'Irish views on death and dying: a national survey'. Journal of Medical Ethics, 36 :454-458. doi: 10.1136/jme.2009.032615en
dc.identifier.doi10.1136/jme.2009.032615
dc.identifier.endpage458en
dc.identifier.issn1473-4257
dc.identifier.issn0306-6800
dc.identifier.journaltitleJournal of Medical Ethicsen
dc.identifier.startpage454en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/475
dc.identifier.volume36en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherBMJ Publishing Groupen
dc.relation.urihttp://jme.bmj.com/content/36/8/454.full
dc.rightsCopyright © 2010, British Medical Journal Publishing Groupen
dc.subjectClinical ethicsen
dc.subjectEnd of life decisionsen
dc.subject.lcshMedical ethics--Irelanden
dc.subject.lcshTerminally illen
dc.subject.lcshDeathen
dc.titleIrish views on death and dying: a national surveyen
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)en
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