Reported religious belief compared with position on withholding/withdrawing treatment, double effect and assisted suicide, UK nurses (1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree) Mean scores on scale of 1 to 5 (1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree) with standard deviation in parentheses Two-sample t-test with equal variances for combined Protestant/Catholic groups compared with “no religion” group
| Statement | Protestant or Catholic (n=373) | No religion (n=62) | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| NB There were no respondents who described themselves as Jewish or Muslim; numbers of Hindu and Buddhist respondents were too small for analysis. | |||
| 1. There is no ethical difference between withholding (not starting) a life support measure and stopping it once it has been started. | 2.30 (1.16) | 2.81 (1.32) | P<.002 |
| 2. Sometimes it is appropriate to give pain medication to relieve suffering, even if it may hasten a patient's death. | 4.67 (.76) | 4.76 (.59) | P<.386 |
| 3. Although it may be illegal, it is not always unethical to hasten a patient's death upon his or her request. | 3.00 (1.29) | 3.77 (1.32) | P<.0001 |