Schmidt T A, Zechnich A D, Doherty M
Department of Emergency Medicine, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland 97201, USA.
Acad Emerg Med. 1998 Sep;5(9):912-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.1998.tb02821.x.
To determine Oregon intermediate and advanced emergency medical technicians' (EMTs') attitudes toward physician-assisted suicide (PAS) and factors associated with those attitudes.
An anonymous survey was sent to a random sample of 498 EMTs registered in Oregon.
Surveys were delivered to 498 EMTs and 343 completed surveys were returned, for a response rate of 69%. The mean age of the respondents was 37.5 years (+/-8.73) and 79% were male. 232 (68%) agreed that PAS should be legal, 263 (77%) agreed that terminally ill people have a right to decide to commit suicide, while 57 (17%) thought not attempting resuscitation would be immoral. 251 (73%) reported seeing attempted suicide in terminally ill patients at least once, with 117 (34%) experiencing such calls >5 times. Only 22 (6%) stated that they would be unable to work in a system that directed them to withhold resuscitation after a PAS attempt, and 277 (81%) agreed that treatment protocols should direct EMTs to withhold resuscitation. 105 (31%) thought EMTs should participate in the decision to withhold resuscitation. 206 (60%) thought the law should allow lethal injection for terminally ill patients. 201 (59%) agreed there were circumstances under which they might personally consider PAS. If PAS were legal, EMTs stated they would withhold treatment from a terminally ill patient following attempted suicide in the following circumstances: based on standing orders, 78%; with on-line medical direction, 67%; after speaking with the primary physician, 53%; if the patient had decision-making capacity, 45%; with written documentation from the patient's physician, 68%; and never, 6%.
A majority of Oregon EMTs responding to this survey expressed support for PAS, think treatment protocols should direct paramedics to withhold resuscitation in such cases, and would feel comfortable withholding resuscitation given appropriate protocols. Nearly 3 out of 4 Oregon EMTs report seeing at least 1 terminally ill patient who had attempted suicide.
确定俄勒冈州中级和高级急救医疗技术人员（EMT）对医师协助自杀（PAS）的态度以及与这些态度相关的因素。
向俄勒冈州登记的498名EMT随机抽取样本发送匿名调查问卷。
共向498名EMT发放了调查问卷，343份问卷被收回，回复率为69%。受访者的平均年龄为37.5岁（±8.73），79%为男性。232人（68%）同意PAS应合法化，263人（77%）同意绝症患者有权决定自杀，而57人（17%）认为不尝试复苏是不道德的。251人（73%）报告至少见过一次绝症患者自杀未遂，其中117人（34%）经历过此类呼叫超过5次。只有22人（6%）表示他们无法在一个指示他们在PAS尝试后停止复苏的系统中工作，277人（81%）同意治疗方案应指示EMT停止复苏。105人（31%）认为EMT应参与停止复苏的决策。206人（60%）认为法律应允许为绝症患者注射致死药物。201人（59%）同意在某些情况下他们可能会个人考虑PAS。如果PAS合法，EMT表示在以下情况下，他们会在绝症患者自杀未遂后停止治疗：根据常规医嘱，78%；通过在线医疗指导，67%；与主治医生交谈后，53%；如果患者有决策能力，45%；有患者医生的书面文件，68%；以及从不，6%。
参与本次调查的大多数俄勒冈州EMT表示支持PAS，认为治疗方案应指示护理人员在这种情况下停止复苏，并且在有适当方案的情况下会安心停止复苏。近四分之三的俄勒冈州EMT报告至少见过1名绝症患者自杀未遂。
