Introduction: The discussion of euthanasia should not be taboo. Of course, speaking about euthanasia does not mean accepting it. Many believe that the physician plays the primary role in end-of-life decision making. But the role of nurses is also crucial, and for that very reason, this profession must be prepared to participate actively in any discussion about euthanasia. The provision of euthanasia involves a multidisciplinary health care team in which nurses often play a supporting role. Purpose: The purpose of this master's thesis is to introduce or define the concept of euthanasia and the forms we are familiar with, and to determine the attitudes of first, second, and third degree nursing students at faculties of health in Slovenia using a measurement scale that has already been developed to measure attitudes toward euthanasia. Methods: The master's thesis consists of a theoretical and an empirical work. We gathered the already known knowledge of the authors and the viewpoints of the foreign and domestic literature using the compilation method. Finally, we used the comparative method to compare the theoretical part of the research with the results obtained through the questionnaire. Secondary sources were obtained from databases such as CINAHL, PubMed, COBBIS.SI, ScienceDirect and others. Results: 74.3% of the respondents were women and 25.7% were men.A large percentage of the respondents attended the Faculty of Health in Novo Mesto (38.2%). Most of the respondents studied at the first level (82.4%). The largest proportion of respondents (45.5%) attended the 2nd year of study. Those who had graduated were much fewer in number (11.9%). The majority of respondents were between 19 and 24 years old. Student attitudes toward euthanasia differed statistically significantly by age, seniority, and gender. Students attitudes toward euthanasia did not differ statistically by education level or religion. Discussion and conclusion: students expressed a high level of agreement that they would request euthanasia for themselves in special circumstances, implying that nursing students at Faculties of Health in Slovenia are in favor of euthanasia. We see the utility of our study in encouraging students and health care workers to reflect on the importance of the nurse's role with dying patients, as she is most often present in the last moments of life. We also need to put great emphasis on the development of palliative care in Slovenia, as we pay too little attention and time to form of health care.
|
