title: Attitudes and experiences of Belgian physicians regarding euthanasia practice and the euthanasia law.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Since the legalization of euthanasia, physicians in Belgium may, under certain conditions, administer life-ending drugs at the explicit request of a patient.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study the attitudes of Belgian physicians toward the use of life-ending drugs and euthanasia law, factors predicting attitudes, and factors predicting whether a physician has ever performed euthanasia.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 2009, we sent a questionnaire to a representative sample of 3006 Belgian physicians who, because of their specialty, were likely to be involved in the care of the dying.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Response rate was 34%. Ninety percent of physicians studied were accepting of euthanasia for terminal patients who had extreme uncontrollable pain/symptoms. Sixty-six percent agreed that the euthanasia law contributes to the carefulness of physicians' end-of-life behavior; 10% agreed that the law impedes the development of palliative care. Religious beliefs and geographic region were strong determinants of attitude. Training in palliative care did not influence attitudes regarding euthanasia, but trained physicians were less likely to agree that the euthanasia law impedes the development of palliative care than were nontrained physicians. One in five physicians had performed euthanasia; they were more likely to be nonreligious, older, specialist, trained in palliative care, and to have had more experience in treating the dying.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most physicians studied support euthanasia for terminal patients with extreme uncontrollable pain/symptoms and agree that euthanasia can be part of good end-of-life care. Although physicians had little involvement in the process of legalizing euthanasia, they now generally endorse the euthanasia law.
authors.affiliation: End-of-Life Care Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy,Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium. tinne.smets@vub.ac.be
authors.forename: Tinne
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Smets
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bilsen
authors.forename: Yanna
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Van Wesemael
authors.forename: Mette L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Rurup
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Deliens
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001530:Belgium; D005006:Ethnicity; D005065:Euthanasia / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology*; D028601:Euthanasia, Active; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians; D017236:Suicide, Assisted / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires