Research on Attitudes of Medical Doctors toward the Dying Patient: A Methodological Problem

Abstract

From a sample of seventy-three medical doctors, thirteen interviews were conducted regarding the physician's attitudes toward the dying patient. A majority of those refusing interviews did so only when the nature of the topic of discussion was revealed. This research experience indicates a general reluctance on the part of physicians to discuss their attitudes toward death. Contradictions revealed in the responses of the physicians who were interviewed indicate that the topic of death may present more of a problem to physicians than has been recognized.