Does experience affect physicians’ attitude towards assisted suicide? A snapshot of Swedish doctors’ opinions

Introduction Assisted dying is a current and controversial topic that seems to be gaining more support among both physicians as well as the general public. This paper aims to provide a snapshot of Swedish physicians’ opinions regarding AS, including their opinion concerning experience and to evaluate whether a correlation between opinion and experience exists. Material and methods A poll was conducted through a panel of members of the Swedish Medical Association. The panel is representative of the association's members regarding age and gender. Results The response rate was 49% Of the respondents 41% stated that AS and/or euthanasia should be legalized. Doctors with great experience in working with dying patients express most strongly against AS and/or euthanasia. More than half of the respondents (54%) stated that AS if it would be legal, should be performed within specific health care units. Approximately the same proportion (48%) were willing to write a statement on health status, knowing that it would be used in decisions regarding AS. Similarly, 44% could not consider performing AS and 27% were indecisive on the question. A majority (41%) thought that a physician should be responsible for approving applications for AS. Discussion A few more physicians express a positive attitude toward AS than against it, but many cannot express a certain opinion. In our material, no side in the “debate” for or against AS reaches the majority. The most junior physicians are the most uncertain ones.