Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38710866›Full record

ArticleJournal of general internal medicine2024

Conscience-Based Barriers to Medical Aid in Dying: A Survey of Colorado Physicians.

Mika K Hamer, Christine M Baugh, Dragana Bolcic-Jankovic, Elizabeth R Kessler, Vinay Kini, Hillary D Lum, Julie Ressalam, Eric G Campbell

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of general internal medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing 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

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Physicians' Conscience-Based Barriers to MAiD.Journal of general internal medicine · 2025
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. 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

8 authors.

Mika K HamerCenter for Bioethics and Humanities, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA. mika.hamer@cuanschutz.edu.ORCID 0000-0003-2234-1095
Christine M BaughCenter for Bioethics and Humanities, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
Dragana Bolcic-JankovicCenter for Survey Research, University of Massachusetts-Boston, Boston, MA, USA.
Elizabeth R KesslerDivision of Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
Vinay KiniDivision of Cardiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.
Hillary D LumDivision of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
Julie RessalamCenter for Bioethics and Humanities, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
Eric G CampbellCenter for Bioethics and Humanities, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.

Funding

Greenwall Foundation Making a Difference grant
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundApproximately 20% of the United States' population lives in a state or jurisdiction where medical aid in dying (MAiD) is legal. It is unknown how physicians' own barriers are associated with their provision of the spectrum of MAiD services.

objectiveTo measure physicians' religious and/or ethical barriers to providing MAiD services and how such barriers relate to physicians' intentions and behaviors.

designThree-wave cross-sectional survey fielded in Colorado in 2020-2021.

participantsPhysicians providing care to patients likely clinically eligible for MAiD according to probabilistic sampling. MAIN MEASURES: Physicians self-reported barriers to their own participation in MAiD. We considered large ethical and/or religious barriers to be conscience-based barriers. We measured physicians' self-reported intention to participate and self-reported prior participation in MAiD since it was legalized in Colorado in 2017. We estimated differences in intention and behavior outcomes according to presence of conscience-based barriers, adjusting for physician gender, race/ethnicity, time in practice, and specialty. KEY

resultsAmong 300 respondents, 26% reported "large" ethical and/or religious barriers to their involvement in MAiD. Physicians with longer time in practice and those identifying as non-White were more likely to report conscience-based barriers to MAiD. Comparing physicians with and without conscience-based barriers to MAiD, we found no difference in ancillary participation (discussing, referring) but significant differences in direct participation (serving as consultant [5% vs. 31%] or attending [0% vs. 22%]).

conclusionsApproximately one-quarter of physicians likely to care for MAiD-eligible patients in Colorado reported religious and/or ethical barriers to MAiD. Despite religious and/or ethical barriers, the vast majority of physicians were willing to discuss MAiD and/or refer patients seeking MAiD services. These data provide important empirical foundation for policy from hospitals and health systems as well as medical specialty groups with official positions on MAiD.

Indexed as

PhysiciansSuicide, AssistedAdultAttitude of Health PersonnelColoradoConscienceCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSurveys and Questionnairesmedical aid in dyingphysician-assisted deathphysician-assisted suicide

Identifiers

PMID38710866
PMCPMC11618266

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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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.