End-of-life decision-making: community and medical practitioners' perspectives.

OBJECTIVE

To examine current attitudes and knowledge of the community and medical practitioners in Queensland to end-of-life decisions.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey by postal questionnaire.

PARTICIPANTS

387 general practitioners and medical specialists and 910 community members from the Queensland electoral roll.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Responses to five questions about end-of-life decision-making, and to legislative changes relating to such decisions.

RESULTS

The overall response rate for medical practitioners was 67% and for community members was 53%. 78% of community members (age adjusted) and 54% of doctors thought that a doctor should comply with a patient's request to turn off a life-support system; 68% of doctors through people would still ask to have their life ended even if pain were controlled, compared with 54% of community members; 70% of community members thought the law should be changed to allow active voluntary euthanasia, compared with 33% of doctors; and 65% of community members thought that a doctor should be allowed by law to assist a terminally ill person to die, but only 36% of doctors agreed. 79% of doctors and 75% of community members agreed that people would still ask for assistance to end their lives even if optimal palliative care were freely available.

CONCLUSION

Community members supported greater choice and control over end-of-life decisions, while doctors were less supportive of some of the options canvassed. In a climate of community participation in health care decisions, it is important to better understand the basis and meaning of these different views. Further detailed research is recommended.