Perception of intensive care nurses in regional hospital on dysthanasia, euthanasia and orthothanasia

Abstract The objective of this study was to analyze the perception of intensive care nurses on the concepts of dysthanasia, euthanasia and orthothanasia and the possible bioethical implications for care. An exploratory and descriptive study of a qualitative nature was carried out through questionnaires applied to eight nurses working in Intensive Care Units. The themes that emerged from the responses were identified and analyzed based on literature. The results showed that nurses understood the concepts of dysthanasia, euthanasia and orthothanasia correctly, but could not carry out practical care based on the principles of orthothanasia, and demonstrated difficulty in defining the four bioethical principles that should direct care. It was concluded that although nurses understood these three concepts relating to terminal illness and recognized their importance for the provision of care, from the responses analyzed it could not be inferred that the principles of orthothanasia were actually present in routine care, which can negatively influence the quality of such care.