Citation

Yung DK, Whelan AM. Can. J. Hosp. Pharm. 1999; 52(4): 227-233.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The attitudes of pharmacy students and pharmacists towards the role of the pharmacy profession and prescription drugs in assisted suicide were measured and compared. Differences in proportions of responses and associations of responses with level of religious conviction, sex, and class or graduation year were tested statistically. Both pharmacy students and pharmacists supported a patient's right to end his or her own life. They agreed that the decision to assist a patient to die should not be made by one physician alone and that it is inappropriate to involve a pharmacist in assisted suicide without his or her knowledge. However, the 2 groups did not agree as to whether dispensing a drug for the purpose of assisted suicide contravenes professional obligation. A higher proportion of pharmacists than students wanted to know if a drug they had dispensed was to be used for assisted suicide. Although many students and pharmacists believed that prescription drugs are an appropriate means to accomplish physician-assisted suicide, students were more unsure about the appropriateness of licensing bodies setting policies against pharmaceutically assisted suicide. Student and pharmacist respondents with a high level of religious conviction were more critical towards assisted suicide. No significant association of responses with sex or with class or graduation year was found.

Language: en

Keywords

article; Assisted suicide; attitude; Attitudes; controlled study; female; health care policy; human; major clinical study; male; perception; pharmacist; Pharmacists; pharmacy; Pharmacy students; prescription; religion; student; suicide