Research Proposal

A. Restatement of Thesis: Overall with current situations happening around the world Euthanasia and Assisted suicide has become a very controversial topic, however there are many interpretations that should be looked upon before deciding that huge decision.

According to Paul J. van der Wal et al. in ¨Euthanasia, Physician-Assisted Suicide, and Other Medical Practices Involving the End of Life in the Netherlands, 1990–1995¨, he addresses that assisted suicide should be legal and regulated. The authors’ purpose of writing this journal article is to make reliable estimates of euthanasia; to describe patients and physicians, and to evaluate changes between 1990 and 1995. Even though assisted suicide is a growing taboo, it is being practiced more each and every day. Paul J. van der Wal et al. chose to conduct two studies to answer their hypotheses.

“The developed world deprives children of a basic and inalienable right: unstructured outdoor play. Children today have substantially less access to nature, less free range, and less time for independent play than previous generations had.” This quote is from the research based paper titled, “Where the Wild Things Should Be: Healing Nature Deficit Disorder through the Schoolyard." This article touches many aspects of how children now a days need more exposure to nature like it was on the older days. Currently, there are many playgrounds around the United States and even more the world. This article is trying to bring awareness to the problem of if playgrounds do not have enough nature or is too safe then it is

In the first article chosen, “Why are Nurses Leaving? Findings From an Initial Qualitative Study on Nursing Attrition,” the research method used was qualitative. The specific type of research design used was phenomenology. The participants were interviewed about their person experience of what it was like working as a registered nurse. The research question for this study was, “What is the experience of RNs who leave clinical nursing?” The sample is registered nurses (RN) with a minimum of 1 year of clinical practice and no clinical practice in the last 6 months. The sample size was ten, which were a majority of females (80%),

England has become a forerunner on this debate as witnessed in the 2012 Coalition of Assisted Dying (COAD) discussions. One element discovered thru this process was that nurses were not being involved in the evidence contributions regarding assisted suicide. One of the key outcomes of the COAD discussions in 2012 was that Nurses should be an integral part of the decision-making and support process if Assisted Suicide is legalized in a modernized medical system.

A study conducted in Spain, to explore this exact issue, was preformed in 2012. The results were very compelling and showed a lack of education and resources to professional nurses needed to properly handle patients requesting more information on PAS. The study performed consisted of 35 questions to distinguish basic knowledge in this area, attitudes towards this topic, and their personal experience with these types of conversations with patients. Of the 390 returned surveys, 59% of participants were able to appropriately identify a case of euthanasia, while 64% were able to appropriately identify a case of PAS. Majority of those surveyed felt a stronger sense to support legalizing euthanasia versus PAS (Tamayo - Velazques, Simon-Lorda, Cruz-Piqueras, 2012). While this study was not conducted in the United Sates, it is clear that education of professional nurses on the topic of PAS and euthanasia is imperative as this practice gains more momentum. There is a need to develop a resource and education program for professional nurses that encounter questions regarding hospice, palliative care, and other end of life

They provide the opinions of nurses nationwide and analyze suggestions from a large number of nurses to improve the care provided to patients at the end of their life. Since there are many suggestions as to how end-of-life care can be improved from not only a specific area of the United States but from nurses representing the nation as a whole, this proves that the care provided to these patients had become an issue. The authors have expertise in the nursing profession and have all acquired their PhD, proving that this is a reliable source. I will use this in my research paper to explore different ways of improving end-of-life care to help patients feel comfortable and how improving the system can cause physician-assisted suicide to no longer be

Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Critical Care Unit (CCU) nurses showed the strongest support for assisted suicide; in a cross-sectional study of nurses’ attitudes towards assisted suicide, 62% of ICU and CCU nurses supported its legalization, with ICU nurses alone presenting the highest agreement rating at 73% (Tepehan, Ozarka, & Yavuz, 2009). These results are most likely due to the greater amount of exposure that nurses in critical care settings have to terminally-ill and palliative care patients, versus patients in other clinical

In the article “Attitudes of Terminally Ill Patients Toward Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide,” seventy terminally ill patients were interviewed on three different topics: the patient’s general attitude on legalizing euthanasia, the patient’s personal circumstances, and the patient’s personal situation.

The investigators used a trained research nurse to be the interviewer that did not directly treat any of the patients previously. The approach was to interview terminally ill cancer patients versus most research studies that only considered a physician’s insight and perspective. This is a unique and interesting twist on one what undoubtedly has to be one of the most difficult situations anyone could encounter. The participants ranged across various cancer diagnosis’s, however, all were terminal. Having a personal interview versus completing only a survey going to create a better opportunity to truly feel the patient’s perspective or attitude towards euthanasia.

The ten areas included, symptoms, social supports, communication with health providers, spiritual meaning, care needs, end of life plans, economic burdens, sociodemographics, preferences regarding end-of-life care and euthanasia and assisted suicide, and stress of the interview (Ezekiel et al., 2000). The findings from the surveys showed that in hypothetical scenarios, 60.2% of the terminally ill patients supported euthanasia or assisted suicide, despite the fact that only 10.6% of the patients seriously contemplated it for themselves (Ezekiel et al., 2000). Many factors play into individuals choosing not to take their own life, even if they believe that others should have the right to. For example, the patients that had loved ones present in their lives were not as likely to take their own lives, but the patients that were alone, causing them to be depressed, as well as the patients who needed more intense care, were much more likely to see euthanasia or assisted suicide as a legitimate option (Ezekiel et al., 2000). 58.7% of the caregivers supported the use of euthanasia for their patients who were in pain (Ezekiel et al., 2000). After the surveys were completed, follow up interviews were conducted six months later in order to see how the patients and caregivers views might have changed (Ezekiel et al., 2000).

Burnout among Nurses in Intensive Care Units and Emergency Departments: An empirical study of Pakistani Government Hospitals

Before the actual research was conducted it was first approved by regional board of ethics. It was stated by the researchers that “The selected patients were provided with written information of the study by staff members, and if interested, they were approached by the researcher, receiving further information” (Karlsson et al., p. 35). It is important for health care officials to fully recognize the different perspectives and thoughts on euthanasia. Autonomy is a very large part of the decision and it is very important to consider their individual rights. Providing information to

Active euthanasia is a subject that is raising a lot of concern in today’s society on whether or not it should be legalized and under what circumstances should it be allowed. This is a very tricky subject due to its ability to be misused and abused. There are a wide variety of things that need to be considered when it comes to who should be allowed to request active euthanasia such as, is it an autonomous choice, do they have a terminal illness, is their quality of life dramatically decreased, and are they in pain and suffering. Both James Rachel and Daniel Callahan have very different opinions on active euthanasia and whether or not it should be allowed. However both authors manage to provide a substantial argument on where they stand regarding active euthanasia.

Euthanasia is a controversial issue. Many different opinions have been formed. From doctors and nurses to family members dealing with loved ones in the hospital, all of them have different ideas for the way they wish to die. However, there are many different issues affecting the legislation and beliefs of legalizing euthanasia. Taking the following aspects into mind, many may get a different understanding as to why legalization of euthanasia is necessary. Some of these include: misunderstanding of what euthanasia really is, doctors and nurses code of ethics, legal cases and laws, religious and personal beliefs, and economics in end-of-life care.