Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42150826›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2026

Finnish physicians' attitudes towards euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide: a nationwide cross-sectional study.

Reetta P Piili, Elina Tolvanen, Minna Hökkä, Jukka Vänskä, Pekka Louhiala, Juho T Lehto

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Article in BMJ open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Reetta P PiiliFaculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere Universities, Tampere, Finland reetta.piili@tuni.fi.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6727-3773
Elina TolvanenFaculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere Universities, Tampere, Finland.
Minna HökkäKajaani University of Applied Sciences, Kajaani, Finland.
Jukka VänskäFinnish Medical Association, Helsinki, Finland.
Pekka LouhialaFaculty of Social Sciences, Tampere Universities, Tampere, Finland.
Juho T LehtoFaculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere Universities, Tampere, Finland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo study Finnish physicians' attitudes and opinions toward euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS).

designA nationwide cross-sectional study.

settingAn online survey was conducted via the Finnish Medical Association in the autumn of 2023 covering all Finnish physicians.

participants8857 Finnish physicians answered the survey, yielding a response rate of 31%. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Finnish physicians' attitudes towards euthanasia and PAS and background factors influencing these attitudes and opinions.

resultsOf the responders, 29% fully agreed and 29% fully disagreed with the statement 'Euthanasia should be legalised in Finland', respectively. Fewer responders (18%) fully agreed that physicians should be able to assist a patient in suicide. Factors such as being female and having experience in end-of-life care were associated with disagreement about legalising euthanasia and assistance in suicide. Conversely, having faced a request for euthanasia or PAS was associated with agreeing on legalising euthanasia and assistance in suicide. One out of seven respondents fully agreed that they could practise euthanasia, and one out of six fully agreed that they could assist a patient in suicide if these practices were legal in Finland.

conclusionsFinnish physicians' attitudes and opinions towards assistance in dying are highly divided, emphasising the controversy of this challenging subject.

Indexed as

Attitude of Health PersonnelEuthanasiaPhysiciansSuicide, AssistedAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleFinlandHumansMaleMiddle AgedSurveys and QuestionnairesDeathMEDICAL ETHICSPhysiciansSurveys and Questionnaires

Identifiers

PMID42150826
PMCPMC13185016

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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.