Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2024 Apr 11;23(1):96.
doi: 10.1186/s12904-024-01430-6.

Misconception between palliative care and euthanasia among Thai general practitioners: a cross-sectional study

Lalita Chutarattanakul  1 , Viriya Jarusukthavorn  1 , Nisachol Dejkriengkraikul  1 , Myo Zin Oo  1   2 , Soe Sandi Tint  1   2 , Chaisiri Angkurawaranon  1   2 , Nutchar Wiwatkunupakarn  3   4
Affiliations
Observational Study

Misconception between palliative care and euthanasia among Thai general practitioners: a cross-sectional study

Lalita Chutarattanakul et al. BMC Palliat Care. .

Abstract

Background: Palliative care lower medical expenses and enhances quality of life, but misconception with euthanasia delays timely care and makes inappropriate patient management.

Objective: To examine the magnitude of misconceptions between palliative care and euthanasia among Thai general practitioners, explore the association with knowledge, attitudes, and practical experience, and assess the association between misconception and confidence in practicing and referring patients to palliative care centers.

Methods: All 144 general practitioners who were going to start residency training at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital in 2021 participated in this observational cross-sectional study. A chi-square test was utilized to examine the relationship between misconception and knowledge, attitude, practical experience, confidence to practice, and confidence to refer patients. Multivariable logistic regression was carried out while controlling for age, sex, knowledge, attitude, and experience to examine the relationship between misconception and confidence to practice and refer patients for palliative care. Statistical significance was defined at p < 0.05.

Results: About 41% of general physicians had misconceptions regarding palliative care and euthanasia. High knowledge was associated with a lower level of misconception (p = 0.01). The absence of misconceptions was weakly associated with a higher level of confidence in practicing palliative care, with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.51 (95% confidence interval 0.73 to 3.10, p = 0.07).

Conclusion: High misconception rates between palliative care and euthanasia among young Thai physicians might impact their confidence in delivering palliative care. Training initiatives for medical students and practitioners can mitigate misconceptions, fostering better palliative care utilization in Thailand.

Keywords: Attitude; Confidence; Euthanasia; Knowledge; Misconception; Palliative care; Practical experience.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Conceptual framework of the study
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Flieger SP, Chui K, Koch-Weser S. Lack of awareness and common misconceptions about Palliative Care among adults: insights from a National Survey. J Gen Intern Med. 2020;35:2059–64. doi: 10.1007/s11606-020-05730-4. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization. Palliative Care Geneva: World Health Organization. 2020. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/palliative-care
    1. Aldridge MD, Hasselaar J, Garralda E, van der Eerden M, Stevenson D, McKendrick K, et al. Education, implementation, and policy barriers to greater integration of palliative care: a literature review. Palliat Med. 2016;30(3):224–39. doi: 10.1177/0269216315606645. - DOI - PubMed
    1. May P, Normand C, Cassel JB, Del Fabbro E, Fine RL, Menz R, et al. Economics of Palliative Care for hospitalized adults with serious illness: a Meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2018;178(6):820–9. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.0750. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization. Global Atlas of Palliative Care: World Health Organization. 2nd ed. 2020. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUK...

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources