Interpretation and Timing of Death: the Development and Initial Validation of the Interpretation of Death (IOD) Scale and the Attitudes Toward Medical Interventions in the Timing of Death (AMITOD) Scale

Decreasing religious authority and increasing medical interventions at the end-of-life emphasize the importance of the interpretation and timing of death. Therefore, the three-dimensional interpretation of death scale (evaluating religious, rational, and personal interpretation of death) and the three-dimensional attitudes toward medical interventions in the timing of death scale (evaluating euthanasia, life prolongation and nonintervention) were constructed and assessed in a survey among 356 older Dutch adults. Religious interpretation of death was found to be associated with disapproval of euthanasia and approval of nonintervention, rational interpretation of death with approval of euthanasia, and personal interpretation of death with approval of nonintervention.