A decade beyond medical school: a longitudinal study of physicians' attitudes toward death and terminally-ill patients.
Physicians were surveyed soon after graduation from medical school in 1976 to determine their attitudes toward death and terminally-ill patients and their families. A follow-up survey of the 1093 respondents was made in 1986 to ascertain if changes had occurred in their attitudes. Eight of the eleven Likert-type items showed statistically significant differences over time and by attitudes toward terminally-ill patients and their families. These data present evidence to suggest that physicians in 1986 were more open in telling dying patients their prognosis than in 1976.
Dickinson
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GE
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, College of Charleston, SC 29424.
Tournier
R E
RE
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001293:Attitude to Death; D003625:Data Collection; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011379:Prognosis; D012577:Schools, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000523:psychology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014342:Truth Disclosure; D014481:United States