Characteristics of the physicians (n=526) participating in the study
Characteristic | Number | Percentage | |
Sex | Male | 135 | 25.7 |
Female | 391 | 74.3 | |
Age in years | 25–39 | 256 | 48.6 |
40–64 | 221 | 42.0 | |
65–84 | 49 | 9.3 | |
Native language | Estonian | 457 | 86.9 |
Russian | 66 | 12.5 | |
Other | 3 | 0.6 | |
Working experience as a physician | <5 years | 166 | 31.6 |
6–10 years | 86 | 16.3 | |
11–20 years | 78 | 14.8 | |
>21 years | 196 | 37.3 | |
Specialty | No specialty | 161 | 30.6 |
Specialist doctor | 365 | 69.4 | |
Working setting | Hospital | 399 | 75.8 |
Primary healthcare | 75 | 14.3 | |
Private clinic | 33 | 6.3 | |
Other | 19 | 3.6 | |
Workload | Full time | 303 | 57.6 |
Part time | 75 | 14.3 | |
Double load | 139 | 26.4 | |
Not working | 9 | 1.7 | |
Being religious | Certainly | 52 | 9.9 |
To some extent | 156 | 29.7 | |
Not at all | 295 | 56.2 | |
Do not know | 22 | 4.2 | |
General health | Very good | 149 | 28.3 |
Good | 318 | 60.5 | |
Neither good nor bad | 48 | 9.1 | |
Poor | 10 | 1.9 | |
Very poor | 1 | 0.2 | |
Participated in palliative care courses | No | 347 | 66.0 |
In some courses | 154 | 29.3 | |
In several courses | 25 | 4.7 | |
Managing palliative care patients | Daily | 84 | 16.0 |
Several patients per month | 162 | 30.8 | |
Some patients per year | 158 | 30.0 | |
Hardly at all | 122 | 23.2 | |
Managing end-of-life care patients | Daily | 56 | 10.6 |
Several patients per month | 160 | 30.4 | |
Some patients per year | 161 | 30.6 | |
Hardly at all | 149 | 28.4 | |
Managing patients whose suffering is not relieved despite care | Daily | 37 | 7.0 |
Several patients per month | 113 | 21.5 | |
Several patients per year | 177 | 33.7 | |
Hardly at all | 199 | 37.8 | |
Has a patient asked you for euthanasia or physician-assisted death? | Yes | 192 | 36.5 |
No | 296 | 56.3 | |
Do not remember | 38 | 7.2 |