Objective: This descriptive study was conducted to analyze the knowledge and attitudes of intensive care nurses regarding euthanasia.
Material and Methods: The study was conducted in the intensive care units of the government hospitals in the provincial centers of Kırıkkale, Kırşehir, Nevşehir, Niğde, and Yozgat. The data were collected through a questionnaire including 28 questions between October 2013 and January 2014. There were 146 nurses working in the intensive care units of these hospitals. In total, 142 nurses were included in the study. Chi square test was used for statistical analysis.
Results: Of the study group, 61.3% consider their information on euthanasia as insufficient, 86.6% know that all kinds of euthanasia are illegal in Turkey, and 40.1% consider that passive euthanasia is conducted covertly in the intensive care units. It was determined that 12.0% of the study group support active euthanasia and 59.2% support passive euthanasia. There is no significant difference between male and female nurses from the standpoint of the approaches to passive and active euthanasia.
Conclusion: It was concluded that intensive care nurses have lack of information about legal aspects of euthanasia. More than half of the intensive care nurses think that passive euthanasia should be legal. Nurses should be informed about euthanasia during their graduation period. The knowledge levels of the intensive care nurses should be upgraded through pre-service and in-service training.