title: Knowledge and attitude regarding euthanasia among medical students in the public and private medical schools of Karachi.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the awareness about and perception of euthanasia among medical students of Karachi.
  
  
  METHODS
  The cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2011 to March 2012 among students of private-sector and one public-sector medical college in Karachi. Data was analysed using SPSS version 17, and associations were worked out using chi-square test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of the 493 students, 226 (46%) were from the matriculation system and 194 (39%) from the Cambridge system, while the remaining 15% were from the American High School. The male-female ratio was 1:3. There were 284 (58%) students from the private medical college. Majority of the private medical school students (n = 284; 99.6%) knew about euthanasia, compared to the public-sector facility where only 161 (77%) knew of it. Of the total, 405 (82%) students agreed that it is physician-assisted suicide; 255 (52%) agreed to the idea of palliative care, claiming it was sufficient to maintain life; 226 (54%) disagreed that a doctor should not be allowed to administer a lethal dose while only 162 (33%) agreed to the idea of it; 285 (58%) disagreed that a law regarding the practice of euthanasia should not be introduced, whereas 134 (27%) agreed to it; 70 (14%) agreed to the practice of euthanasia, while 311 (63%) disagreed, mostly for religious reasons.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The awareness of euthanasia was high, but a very small proportion of students approved of it. There is need to include palliative care and euthanasia in the Behavioural Science module in the under-graduation programme of both public and private medical schools.
authors.affiliation: Ziauddin University, Karachi. waaafffles@gmail.com
authors.forename: Wafa
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.forename: Farah
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.forename: Aisha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Malik
authors.forename: Saba
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ali
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005065:Euthanasia / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010154:Pakistan; D010166:Palliative Care; D017149:Private Sector; D017150:Public Sector; D012067:Religion; D012577:Schools, Medical; D012945:Social Values; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D017236:Suicide, Assisted