Validation of the Greek Version of Euthanasia Attitude Scale (EAS) in Greek Medical Doctors.

This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Euthanasia Attitude Scale (EAS) in Greek medical doctors. A cross-sectional study design was conducted, including 120 physicians at clinical setting in 2019 (men 64.5%). A self-report questionnaire, including socio-demographic data and the Euthanasia Attitude Scale, which assesses attitudes towards euthanasia, were used for data collection. The mean (standard deviation) of the EAS were 74.62 (14.33). The Cronbach's alpha was 0.944 and the confirmatory factor analysis to investigate the validity of the EAS scale, after modification effects, revealed an acceptable adjustment for the questionnaire. The GFI index was above 0.8 and close to 0.9, and the CFI index was above 0.9, which is the acceptable limit. The RMSEA index was acceptable below 0.08. The total Gr-EAS correlated with all five factors (Pearson r = 0.400−0.973, p < 0.001). According to the findings of this study, the Euthanasia Attitude Scale is a reliable and valid measure for assessing the attitudes toward euthanasia in Greek physicians. This Greek adaptation will be valuable in future studies examining the attitude of physicians towards euthanasia.

Physicians' attitudes towards euthanasia and correlation with their spirituality.

"Suffering" patients' wishes concerning hastening their own death by means of euthanasia, raised by personal, psychological, social and other motives, are becoming increasingly common. This raises controversies and marks challenges within both the scientific community and the public. The aim of this study is to investigate physicians' attitudes towards euthanasia and its correlation with their spirituality. The final sample consisted of 93 physicians (64.5% men), whose attitudes on euthanasia who were evaluated using Euthanasia Attitude Scale (EAS) and Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES). Physicians' attitudes correlate with their specialty (p=0.037), years of service (p=0.037), as well as the number of end stage patients they cared for and died within the last 12 months (p=0.016). Oncologists and other physicians with similar specialty, those with longer clinical experience and those who treat more end-stage patients to strongly oppose to the above practices. Spirituality, estimated with Daily Spiritual Experience Scale -DSES, is correlated with a negative attitude toward euthanasia (p<0.001). Finally, a considerable gap in physicians' training regarding the management of end stage patients has been highlighted. Physicians are opposed to euthanasia and they require the acquisition of competencies in end-of-life care in order to fulfill their profession's current and future demands in the domain of palliative care.