If you want to die sooner, get an atheist or agnostic doctor?

[IDrinkaRum]

Doctors who are either atheists or agnostics are more likely to hasten the deaths of their patients than those who identify with a religion.

[Hobbs]

Hmm, it also says to steer clear from white doctors. Just proves that whites are still trying to get rid of us

That's a joke.

It really is an interesting article, and I'm quite surprised at the results actually. I really didn't think theology would play a factor in a doctor's decision.

[Talon]

The article title is somewhat misleading.
From the first paragraph:

Atheist or agnostic doctors are almost twice as willing to make decisions that they think will quickly end the lives of terminally ill patients than doctors who are religious

IDR, your thread title should be "If you were terminally ill and wanted to end your life sooner, get an atheist or agnostic doctor".

[Hobbs]

It's not misleading. The point is, athiest/agnostic doctors are still more willing to end the life of a patient.

[Mikkel]

It's not misleading. The point is, athiest/agnostic doctors are still more willing to end the life of a patient.

When the life is a burden to the patient.
I think I would prefer an atheist doctor, and as a cancer patient I have thought about it.

[Rapscallion]

Turn the article's conclusions around.

Religiously minded doctors are more likely to maintain a person in a state of agony.

Rapscallion

[HYHYBT]

All are accurate: it just depends on how loaded you want your headline to be, and in what direction.

[jedimaster91]

I would have thought the opposite. Since atheists (and some agnostics) tend to believe this life is it, I would have thought doctors with those outlooks would be more apt to keep treating and keep the patient alive as long as possible. Whereas a doctor who believes in an afterlife with a loving God, reincarnation, or what have you would tend towards making a patient more comfortable and encouraging the family to let go. Definitely an interesting study either way.

[Greenday]

Turn the article's conclusions around.

Religiously minded doctors are more likely to maintain a person in a state of agony.

Rapscallion

Damnit, you keep beating me to my own points.

Was going to say, "So religious doctors would prefer to let patients suffer to the bitter end."

[Ghel]

There's a few things I want to point out about this piece of research, because I think the article makes a bit too much of it. The link in the article is to the abstract (here's a direct link), which is only a very short summary of the research. You have to subscribe to read the entire thing.

First, the research was done by survey of 3,733 doctors in the UK. The results might have been very different if the research was conducted in the US. Second, the doctors were voluntarily answering questions about their last patient that died. The fact that it was voluntary says that there is a lot of leeway for doctors to "spin" their responses. Also, it was their most recent case, not what their overall choice tends to be.

The overall results seem to be encapsulated in this sentence: "Independently of speciality, doctors who described themselves as non-religious were more likely than others to report having given continuous deep sedation until death, having taken decisions they expected or partly intended to end life, and to have discussed these decisions with patients judged to have the capacity to participate in discussions."

I agree with their conclusion that the doctor's values can have a significant impact on what treatment she suggests for her patient, particularly a terminally ill patient. It's something that all people, as potential patients, need to be aware of. But I don't think it's something that necessarily needs to be the subject of continued research.

[smileyeagle1021]

I would have thought the opposite. Since atheists (and some agnostics) tend to believe this life is it, I would have thought doctors with those outlooks would be more apt to keep treating and keep the patient alive as long as possible. Whereas a doctor who believes in an afterlife with a loving God, reincarnation, or what have you would tend towards making a patient more comfortable and encouraging the family to let go.

Not necessarily. After all, if this life is it, then there is nothing to be gained from doggedly fighting to the end. When the end is in sight and nothing is gained by prolonging it, why prolong it? Now, if there is something to be gained in the next life by showing virtue and perseverance and not giving up in this life, then it is worth it to prolong the end, even in agony, to gain that reward in the eternity hereafter.
It's all a matter of perspective.

[Hyena Dandy]

I really don't see any problem with the title, the way its presented or presenting it in the other way. The study doesn't seem to be the most scientific, but I don't think either side is presenting a problem. Although I see a problem with the way that the thread was titled, I don't see it as wrong to say "Atheist/Agnostic doctors prefer to end their patient's lives early to end suffering, while religious doctors tend to try to keep them alive as long as possible, regardless of suffering."

That said, I would hope it wouldn't matter too much, because I would hope that the doctors, be they Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Atheist, or otherwise, would respect the wishes of their patients in that matter. If the patient signs a DNR, DNR*, yeah?

You can take the study as being in favor of Atheists, or in favor of religious folk, but in the end, its a study, and I'm not going to read "Atheists hate life" or "Religious people are torturers" into it.


*Speaking of DNR orders, my psychiatrist worked in a geriatrics ward for a while, where interns were only able to write their initials. Her name is Donna Nickerson-Reti. Unfortunate, yeah?