Case fatality rates for meningococcal disease in an English population, 1963-98: database study

Abstract

Our study has several limitations.Answering questions about a sensitive topic on the telephone can be difficult, a questionnaire with a fixed choice of answers prevented doctors from qualifying or justifying their responses, and we lacked detailed information about doctors who did not respond.Previous studies found similar patterns, but the French counterparts to Italian general practitioners and US oncologists were more in favour of legalising euthanasia. 3 4Our findings contradict the argument that opinions on euthanasia are related to cultural differences in English speaking countries; comparative studies are needed. 2 In France, the support shown for euthanasia may be due to a lack of professional knowledge on palliative care. 5Improving such knowledge would improve end of life care and may also clarify the debate over euthanasia.