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Table 1 Demographic and professional characteristics of participants (n = 417)

From: Physicians’ attitudes toward medical and ethical challenges for patients in the vegetative state: comparing Canadian and German perspectives in a vignette survey

Variable

Canadian sample (n = 249)

German sample (n = 168)

No. (%)

Gender (n = 395)

  Female

63

(27)

47

(30)

  Male

175

(74)

110

(70)

Primary discipline*

  Neurology

114

(46)

161

(96)

  Neurosurgery

41

(17)

1

(1)

  Rehabilitation medicine

42

(17)

20

(12)

  Emergency medicine

35

(14)

-

-

  Others (e.g., anesthesiology)

10

(4)

20

(12)

Health care setting*

  In-patient care

185

(74)

115

(69)

  Out-patient care

197

(79)

62

(37)

Type of care*

  Acute care

159

(64)

71

(42)

  Rehabilitation care

47

(19)

36

(21)

  Long-term care

26

(10)

17

(10)

Professional experience with patients in the VS (n = 383)

  0 cases

28

(13)

2

(1)

  1-10 cases

123

(55)

94

(60)

  > 20 cases

73

(33)

63

(40)

Religious practice (n = 398)

  Practicing religion

99

(41)

92

(58)

  Not practicing religion

141

(59)

66

(42)

Spiritual beliefs (n = 392)

  Spiritual beliefs

132

(56)

100

(64)

  No spiritual beliefs

104

(44)

56

(36)

Median; 1 st , 3 rd quartile (range)

  Age (years)

53; 41,59

(30 – 81)

43; 37,48

(27 – 80)

  Experience (years)

21; 9,30

(<1 – 56)

15; 10;22

(2 – 51)

  1. *Multiple answers permitted.