Personality traits and attitude towards euthanasia among medical students in Serbia

OBJECTIVE

Various factors may influence the attitudes of medical students towards euthanasia, including personal values, beliefs, and personality traits. The objective of this study was to examine the attitudes of 2nd and 5th year medical students about euthanasia and the relationship between these attitudes and students' personality traits.

METHODS

Medical students from the Universities of Kragujevac and Belgrade, Serbia, participated in this study. A questionnaire was administered assessing attitudes toward euthanasia and student personality traits (honesty-humility, emotionality, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness using the HEXACO-60).

RESULTS

More than 50% of students in the second year and 60% of students in the fifth year were supportive of euthanasia. Students in the 5th year were 2.5 times more likely to express a concern that euthanasia needs to be clearly regulated by law compared to students in the second year. Adjusted analyses indicated that lower levels of honesty-humility and emotionality were positively correlated with students' belief that euthanasia should be legalized.

CONCLUSION

Many medical students in Serbia have a positive attitude towards euthanasia. It is important to consider the possible influences of culture, religion, and the law on attitudes towards euthanasia. Undergraduate medical training should include more hours dedicated to palliative care and end-of-life topics to raise awareness of patients' preferences in this regard.

Current State of Serious Games in Dentistry: A Scoping Review

Objective: Over the past decade, serious games (SGs) have played a growing role in medical education and health promotion; however, little is known about their use in the field of oral health. This study provides a comprehensive synthesis about SGs developed for training oral health professionals or for health promotion in oral health. Material and Methods: A systematic search was conducted. The following electronic databases were reviewed: MEDLINE (1966 to September 2019), Embase (1980 to September 2019), and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), LILACS and Scopus from inception to September 2019. Two reviewers independently screened and assessed the study's quality and extracted data. The Sardi and collaborators' tool was used to assess the quality of the evidence presented. Results: A total of 19 studies (25 articles) were selected. Games were divided into two categories: for specific educational purposes and for oral health promotion. Most studies involved oral health professions' students (n = 9) or school/preschool children (n = 9). Two studies included preschool children and parents. Interactive SGs were as effective as traditional noninteractive methods in improving oral health outcomes. Nonetheless, participants' feedback reflected a higher level of satisfaction in learning through games. The quality of the studies was limited due to the lack of a proper technical description of the games and the absence of discussion of the limitations and challenges of the games. Conclusion: The use of SGs in oral health is limited, and little valid empirical evidence is available to confirm their effectiveness. Further studies are required for using more rigorous designs, evaluation, and follow-ups.