Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28818632›Full record

ArticleJournal of pain and symptom management2018

The Views of Clergy Regarding Ethical Controversies in Care at the End of Life.

Michael J Balboni, Adam Sullivan, Patrick T Smith, Danish Zaidi, Christine Mitchell, James A Tulsky, Daniel P Sulmasy, Tyler J VanderWeele, Tracy A Balboni

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of pain and symptom management, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Michael J BalboniDepartment of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Initiative on Health, Religion, and Spirituality within Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Electronic address: michael_balboni@dfci.harvard.edu.
Adam SullivanDepartment of Biostatistics, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Patrick T SmithHarvard Medical School Center for Bioethics, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Danish ZaidiHarvard Medical School Center for Bioethics, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Christine MitchellHarvard Medical School Center for Bioethics, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
James A TulskyDepartment of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Division of Palliative Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Daniel P SulmasyGeorgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.
Tyler J VanderWeeleInitiative on Health, Religion, and Spirituality within Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Tracy A BalboniDepartment of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Initiative on Health, Religion, and Spirituality within Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Radiation Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts; and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Funding

U Mass Boston / DFHCC U54 Partnership (1 of 2)U54CA156732 · NCI · DANA-FARBER CANCER INST · PI WENDY Beth LONDON · 2010 to 2026
$25.6M
UMass Boston-DF/HCC U54 Partnership (2 of 2)U54CA156734 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS BOSTON · PI ADAN COLON-CARMONA, Jill A. Macoska · 2010 to 2026
$24.9M
NCI NIH HHS L30 CA130681NCI NIH HHS U54 CA156732NCI NIH HHS U54 CA156734
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

contextAlthough religion often informs ethical judgments, little is known about the views of American clergy regarding controversial end-of-life ethical issues including allowing to die and physician aid in dying or physician-assisted suicide (PAD/PAS).

objectiveTo describe the views of U.S. clergy concerning allowing to die and PAD/PAS.

methodsA survey was mailed to 1665 nationally representative clergy between 8/2014 to 3/2015 (60% response rate). Outcome variables included beliefs about whether the terminally ill should ever be "allowed to die" and moral/legal opinions concerning PAD/PAS.

resultsMost U.S. clergy are Christian (98%). Clergy agreed that there are circumstances in which the terminally ill should be "allowed to die" (80%). A minority agreed that PAD/PAS was morally (28%) or legally (22%) acceptable. Mainline/Liberal Christian clergy were more likely to approve of the morality (56%) and legality (47%) of PAD/PAS, in contrast to all other clergy groups (6%-17%). Greater end-of-life medical knowledge was associated with moral disapproval of PAD/PAS (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.51; 95% CI, 1.04-2.19, P = 0.03). Those reporting distrust in health care were less likely to oppose legalization of PAD/PAS (AOR 0.93; 95% CI, 0.87-0.99, P < 0.02). Religious beliefs associated with disapproval of PAD/PAS included "life's value is not tied to the patient's quality of life" (AOR 2.12; 95% CI, 0.1.49-3.03, P < 0.001) and "only God numbers our days" (AOR 2.60; 95% CI, 1.77-3.82, P < 0.001).

conclusionMost U.S. clergy approve of "allowing to die" but reject the morality or legalization of PAD/PAS. Respectful discussion in public discourse should consider rather than ignore underlying religious reasons informing end-of-life controversies.

Indexed as

Health Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeMoralsClergyFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedReligion and MedicineSurveys and QuestionnairesTerminal CareUnited StatesBioethicsphysician aid in dyingphysician-assisted suicidereligionspirituality

Identifiers

PMID28818632
PMCPMC5735011

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.