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.
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, College of Charleston, SC 29424.
G E
GE
Dickinson
R E
RE
Tournier
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