Attitudes of Polish physicians, nurses and pharmacists towards the ethical and legal aspects of the conscience clause
Abstract Background While healthcare professionals’ right to invoke the conscience clause has been recognised as a fundamental human right, it continues to provoke a heated debate in Polish society. Although public discourse is filled with ethical and legal considerations on the conscience clause, m...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2022-11-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Ethics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-022-00846-0 |
| _version_ | 1828310134281994240 |
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| author | Justyna Czekajewska Dariusz Walkowiak Jan Domaradzki |
| author_facet | Justyna Czekajewska Dariusz Walkowiak Jan Domaradzki |
| author_sort | Justyna Czekajewska |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background While healthcare professionals’ right to invoke the conscience clause has been recognised as a fundamental human right, it continues to provoke a heated debate in Polish society. Although public discourse is filled with ethical and legal considerations on the conscience clause, much less is known about the attitudes of healthcare professionals regarding that matter. The aim of this study was therefore to describe the attitudes of Polish physicians, nurses and pharmacists towards the ethical and legal aspects of the conscience clause. Methods We analysed a group of three hundred healthcare professionals: physicians, nurses and pharmacists in Poznan, Poland, using a standard questionnaire comprising of 29 questions about various ethical and legal aspects of the conscience clause and participants’ personal experiences with the conscience clause. The study was conducted between January and March 2020. Results This research shows that although most Polish healthcare workers support the right to invoke the conscience clause they differ significantly in their opinions on to whom and to what medical procedures the conscience clause should apply to. It also demonstrated that while the conscience clause is rarely invoked in Poland, most healthcare professionals declare that the current legal regulations in that sphere are unclear and inaccurate. Conclusions While there is an urgent need to raise the awareness regarding the conscience clause among medical students and healthcare professionals and educate them about such issues, it is even more important to improve the legal system in regard to the CC so that it protects both HCPs’ right to the CC and safeguards patients’ rights to medical services. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T15:38:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3dcb29121d364f95a501e7948d3f2c4f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6939 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T15:38:36Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Ethics |
| spelling | doaj.art-3dcb29121d364f95a501e7948d3f2c4f2022-12-22T02:41:12ZengBMCBMC Medical Ethics1472-69392022-11-0123111210.1186/s12910-022-00846-0Attitudes of Polish physicians, nurses and pharmacists towards the ethical and legal aspects of the conscience clauseJustyna Czekajewska0Dariusz Walkowiak1Jan Domaradzki2Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poznan University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Organization and Management in Health Care, Poznan University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poznan University of Medical SciencesAbstract Background While healthcare professionals’ right to invoke the conscience clause has been recognised as a fundamental human right, it continues to provoke a heated debate in Polish society. Although public discourse is filled with ethical and legal considerations on the conscience clause, much less is known about the attitudes of healthcare professionals regarding that matter. The aim of this study was therefore to describe the attitudes of Polish physicians, nurses and pharmacists towards the ethical and legal aspects of the conscience clause. Methods We analysed a group of three hundred healthcare professionals: physicians, nurses and pharmacists in Poznan, Poland, using a standard questionnaire comprising of 29 questions about various ethical and legal aspects of the conscience clause and participants’ personal experiences with the conscience clause. The study was conducted between January and March 2020. Results This research shows that although most Polish healthcare workers support the right to invoke the conscience clause they differ significantly in their opinions on to whom and to what medical procedures the conscience clause should apply to. It also demonstrated that while the conscience clause is rarely invoked in Poland, most healthcare professionals declare that the current legal regulations in that sphere are unclear and inaccurate. Conclusions While there is an urgent need to raise the awareness regarding the conscience clause among medical students and healthcare professionals and educate them about such issues, it is even more important to improve the legal system in regard to the CC so that it protects both HCPs’ right to the CC and safeguards patients’ rights to medical services.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-022-00846-0Conscience clauseConscientious objectionEthical and legal aspectsHealthcare professionalsNursesPharmacists |
| spellingShingle | Justyna Czekajewska Dariusz Walkowiak Jan Domaradzki Attitudes of Polish physicians, nurses and pharmacists towards the ethical and legal aspects of the conscience clause BMC Medical Ethics Conscience clause Conscientious objection Ethical and legal aspects Healthcare professionals Nurses Pharmacists |
| title | Attitudes of Polish physicians, nurses and pharmacists towards the ethical and legal aspects of the conscience clause |
| title_full | Attitudes of Polish physicians, nurses and pharmacists towards the ethical and legal aspects of the conscience clause |
| title_fullStr | Attitudes of Polish physicians, nurses and pharmacists towards the ethical and legal aspects of the conscience clause |
| title_full_unstemmed | Attitudes of Polish physicians, nurses and pharmacists towards the ethical and legal aspects of the conscience clause |
| title_short | Attitudes of Polish physicians, nurses and pharmacists towards the ethical and legal aspects of the conscience clause |
| title_sort | attitudes of polish physicians nurses and pharmacists towards the ethical and legal aspects of the conscience clause |
| topic | Conscience clause Conscientious objection Ethical and legal aspects Healthcare professionals Nurses Pharmacists |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-022-00846-0 |
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