ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to reveal doctors' and nurses' attitudes to euthanasia in intensive care units and surgical, internal medicine and paediatric units in Turkey. A total of 205 doctors and 206 nurses working in several hospitals in Istanbul participated. Data were collected by questionnaire and analysed using SPSS v. 12.0. Significantly higher percentages of doctors (35.3%) and nurses (26.6%) working in intensive care units encountered euthanasia requests than those working in other units. Doctors and nurses caring for terminally ill patients in intensive care units differed considerably in their attitudes to euthanasia and patient rights from other health care staff. Euthanasia should be investigated and put on the agenda for discussion in Turkey.
Subject(s)
Attitude of Health Personnel , Euthanasia/psychology , Hospital Departments/organization & administration , Intensive Care Units/organization & administration , Medical Staff, Hospital/psychology , Nursing Staff, Hospital/psychology , Adult , Euthanasia/ethics , Euthanasia/legislation & jurisprudence , Female , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Internal Medicine , Male , Medical Staff, Hospital/education , Medical Staff, Hospital/ethics , Nursing Methodology Research , Nursing Staff, Hospital/education , Nursing Staff, Hospital/ethics , Patient Rights/ethics , Patient Rights/legislation & jurisprudence , Pediatrics , Right to Die/ethics , Right to Die/legislation & jurisprudence , Surgery Department, Hospital/organization & administration , Surveys and Questionnaires , TurkeyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Autopsy findings play an important role in prevention of perinatal and neonatal deaths. Therefore, we attempted to reveal demographic and forensic features of these deaths in Turkey. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed autopsy reports for 184 cases of perinatal deaths released from Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institute Morgue between 2000 and 2002 and investigated demographic and medico-legal features of the cases. RESULTS: The mean age of the cases was 2.98 +/- 6.41 days. Fifteen point two percent (15.2%) of the cases were of murder, 52.7% of the cases were illegitimate children and 41.3% had the ability to survive. CONCLUSION: It can be suggested that autopsy and post-mortem examinations should be performed in order to determine the real causes and contributing factors of perinatal and neonatal deaths. Data obtained in autopsies and postmortem examinations will make great contributions to the prevention of these deaths.
Subject(s)
Autopsy , Forensic Medicine/legislation & jurisprudence , Forensic Medicine/methods , Catchment Area, Health , Cause of Death , Demography , Female , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Male , Retrospective Studies , Turkey/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Our study was based on a retrospective analysis of terrorist bombing related deaths in Istanbul (Turkey) between 1976 and 2000. A total of 45,714 autopsy case reports from the Morgue Department of Council of Forensic Medicine were reviewed for this study. There were 120 (0.26%) deaths due to terrorist bombing. Terrorist bombing related deaths were significantly higher during the years of increasing terrorism events in Turkey. Ninety-eight (81.7%) of cases were male and 22 (18.3%) of cases were female. The most frequent age groups of victims and terrorists was between 21 and 30 years of age (n=60; 50% of the total cases). In 49 events only one death occurred. The highest mortality was 24 in a single event. In this study, we have renewed of characteristics traumatic lesion to ascertain the cause of deaths and other autopsy findings in victims and terrorists. We also emphasize that scene investigation and medico-legal autopsy are the most important procedures provide appropriate information about deaths due to terrorist bombings.
Subject(s)
Cause of Death , Terrorism , Autopsy , Humans , Retrospective Studies , TurkeyABSTRACT
According to the Turkish Penal Code, Section 456, an assailant is punished in a correlation to the severity of the victim's injury. In this study, the injury scale used in Turkey in the basis code 456 is compared with Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS). For this aim, a total of 984 cases out of the total amount reported at the Traumatology Section of the Turkish Council for Forensic Medicine were randomly selected and evaluated retrospectively. In all, 40.7% of injuries were caused by blunt trauma, whereas 59.3% were caused by a penetrating trauma. According to the Turkish Injury Scale (TIS), 40.3% of the cases were scored to be of a first degree of injury, 15.6% as second degree and 44.1% as third degree. When compared, the score points 3, 4 and 5 in the AIS were seen to be nearly equivalent to the TIS of third degree. From this point of view, in the modified AIS 91.1% of first degree of injury, 51.2% of second degree and 97.2% of third degree of injury are harmonious with TIS. Generally, 83.2% of the cases are harmonious with the AIS system. The purpose of this study is to determine what was the source of differences and to focus on particular traumatic lesions in order to determine a possible rearrangement of the Turkish Injury Scale.
