Conocimientos, actitudes sobre la eutanasia y factores asociados en estudiantes de las carreras de Medicina, Enfermería y Odontología de la Universidad de Cuenca, septiembre – noviembre 2024

Abstract

Background: euthanasia has historically been a controversial subject that raises ethical, medical, and legal reflections, especially in the academic field. Until 2023, Colombia was the only Latin American country that recognized this practice as legitimate. In 2024, Ecuador joined this recognition, rekindling debates about its implications. Objectives: to determine the knowledge and attitudes toward euthanasia and associated factors in students of Medicine, Nursing and Dentistry programs at the University of Cuenca during the period September - November 2024. Methodology: a quantitative, analytical, and cross-sectional study was conducted with 442 students from the Medicine, Nursing, and Dentistry programs at the University of Cuenca. A self-administered questionnaire was used, incorporating internationally validated scales: the Euthanasia Attitude Scale (EAS) and the Euthanasia Knowledge Scale by Ramírez-Díaz. The Data were processed using Epi Info™ 7 software and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: the 65.6% of participants were between 17 and 20 years old, mostly woman, and mostly identified as Catholic. A total of 53.2% had a low level of knowledge about euthanasia, which was associated with their academic year and field of study. Furthermore, 36.6% had a positive attitude toward euthanasia, while the remaining 63.3% showed a neutral or negative attitude, influenced by religion and their field of study. Conclusions: a significant lack of knowledge about eutanasia was identified among university students in these programs which are linked to academic factors. Additionally, religion and field of study influence the positions towards this practice.