title: Influence of the "Rijeka model" of bioethics education on attitudes of medical students towards death and dying--a cross sectional study.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess attitude towards euthanasia, and the influence of socio-demographic data and death education carried out through the "Rijeka model" of bioethics education for the first-year medical students of the School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Croatia. The cross-sectional study was conducted in the academic year 20031 2004. 124 (61% female) participants were surveyed by using an anonymous questionnaire before and after training. Catholics (p = 0.003) and students from areas with populations of less than 50,000 inhabitants (p = 0.001) had significantly negative attitude towards euthanasia than others before the course, yet no differences were found following this training. Attitude towards euthanasia was significantly positive after the course (p = 0.005). All items in the questionnaire, except "Croatia should legalise euthanasia", received more positive scores after the course. Death education carried through the "Rijeka model" of bioethics education has changed attitudes of medical students towards a more positive perception of euthanasia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia. iva.sorta@medri.hr
authors.forename: Iva
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sorta-Bilajac
authors.forename: Domagoj
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brkanac
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brozović
authors.forename: Ksenija
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bazdarić
authors.forename: Morana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brkljacić
authors.forename: Gordana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pelcić
authors.forename: Vesna
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Golubović
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Segota
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001293:Attitude to Death; D001675:Bioethics / Q000193:education*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005065:Euthanasia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D013337:Students, Medical