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. Des ign: Cross-sectional survey by postal questionnaire. Participants: 387 general practitioners and medical specialists and 910 community membe rs from the Queensland electoral roll. Main outcome measures: Response s to five questions about end-of-life decisionmaking, and to legislati ve changes relating to such decisions. Results: The overall response r ate 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 lif e-support system; 68% of doctors thought people would still ask to hav e 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 doc tors; and 65% of community members thought that a doctor should be all owed 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 tha t people would still ask for assistance to end their lives even if opt imal palliative care were freely available. Conclusion. Community memb ers supported greater choice and control over end-of life decisions, w hile 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 differen t views. Further detailed research is recommended.