Aim Nurses have a critical role in providing holistic care for people with life-limiting conditions. However, they experience internal moral conflict and powerlessness when patients request them to assist in the dying process. A scoping review was undertaken to determine what is known about nurses’ perceptions and attitudes of euthanasia. Review Methods: Several databases were searched that yielded both qualitative and quantitative primary peer-reviewed research studies that focused on nurses, their perceptions and attitudes about euthanasia. Descriptive and explorative analyses of the data set from the research studies were undertaken. Results: A total of 23 studies were included in the review. Opinions about euthanasia were mixed. Two key concepts emerged from the review: some nurses were positive and/or supportive of euthanasia, while some were negative and/or unsupportive of euthanasia. The main factors associated with being positive and/or supportive were because of (a) extreme uncontrollable pain, unbearable suffering, or other distressing experiences of the patient, (b) legality of euthanasia, and (c) right of the patient to die. The factors that determined nurses’ negative and/or unsupportive attitude included (a) religion, (b) moral/ethical dilemmas, (c) role of gender of the health professional, and, (d) poor palliative care. Conclusions: The matter of euthanasia has challenged nurses considerably in their aim to deliver holistic care. There were several crucial factors influencing nurses’ perceptions and attitudes, and these were affected by their personal, professional and transpersonal perspectives. The potential implications to nurses relate to education, practice, and research. Nurses need to be informed of existing legislation and provided in-depth education and professional guidelines to help direct action. Further research is needed to explore the impact on nurses’ emotional well-being, clarify their role/s and determine the support they might require when involved with euthanasia.

This study represents the first reported attempt to define the priorities for a waiting list for admission to palliative care units, and demonstrates its utility in providing a transparent process for palliative care units to manage the competing needs of patients referred for care.

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To review factors shaping volunteering in palliative care in Australian rural communities using Australian and International literature. Identify gaps in the palliative care literature and make recommendations for future research. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using Proquest, Scopus, Sage Premier, Wiley online, Ovid, Cochran, Google Scholar, CINAHL and Informit Health Collection. The literature was synthesised and presented in an integrated thematic narrative. Australian Rural communities. While Australia, Canada, the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) are leaders in palliative care volunteer research, limited research specifically focuses on volunteers in rural communities with the least occurring in Australia. Several interrelated factors influence rural palliative care provision, in particular an increasingly ageing population which includes an ageing volunteer and health professional workforce. Also current and models of palliative care practice fail to recognise the innumerable variables between and within rural communities such as distance, isolation, lack of privacy, limited health care services and infrastructure, and workforce shortages. These issues impact palliative care provision and are significant for health professionals, volunteers, patients and caregivers. The three key themes of this integrated review include: (i) Geography, ageing rural populations in palliative care practice, (ii) Psychosocial impact of end-end-of life care in rural communities and (iii) Palliative care models of practice and volunteering in rural communities. The invisibility of volunteers in rural palliative care research is a concern in understanding the issues affecting the sustainability of quality palliative care provision in rural communities. Recommendations for future Australian research includes examination of the suitability of current models of palliative care practice in addressing the needs of rural communities; the recruitment, training, ongoing education and support of volunteers in rural palliative care provision to ensure equitable care for all communities in Australia regardless of location.