Table 4

Practice of ethics

Issues in practice of medical ethics

Occupation

Disagree

Agree

Chi square

Cramer's V

p-value

Patient's wishes must always be adhered to

Physicians

43

23

4.0

0.15

p = 0.03

Nurses

65

26

Patient should be always informed of wrongdoing

Physicians

11

68

0.23

0.09

p = 0.17

Nurses

7

79

Confidentiality – not important

Physicians

82

1

11.2

0.26

p = 0.001

Nurses

76

14

Doctor should do best irrespective of patient's opinion

Physicians

67

10

8.0

0.22

p = 0.004

Nurses

61

28

Consent only for operations – not for tests and medications

Physicians

72

6

3.7

0.15

p = 0.04

Nurses

74

16

Close relatives should always be told about patient condition

Physicians

62

17

2.6

0.12

p = 0.07

Nurses

60

29

Children should never be treated without consent of parent

Physicians

13

70

0.78

0.07

p = 0.25

Nurses

10

80

Doctors & nurses should refuse to treat a violent patient

Physicians

71

7

5.9

0.19

p = 0.01

Nurses

67

20

If law allows abortion, doctors cannot refuse to do abortion

Physicians

83

3

3.2

0.13

p = 0.07

Nurses

78

9

If a patient wishes to die, he or she should be assisted in doing so

Physicians

81

2

1.9

0.11

p = 0.15

Nurses

80

6

If patients refuses treatment due to beliefs, they should be instructed to find another doctor

Physicians

66

11

1.4

0.09

p = 0.17

Nurses

77

7

Hariharan et al. BMC Medical Ethics 2006 7:7   doi:10.1186/1472-6939-7-7