Nursing staff and euthanasia in the Netherlands. A nation-wide survey on attitudes and involvement in decision making and the performance of euthanasia

Abstract

Nursing staff should be informed of relevant existing legislation and professional guidelines.

Implementation of Medical Assistance in Dying: A Scoping Review of Health Care Providers' Perspectives

“…22 Similarly, Francke et al found that 46% of 587 Dutch nurses stated a patient was more likely to address a request for euthanasia to a nurse than to a physician. 17 However, nurses alongside physicians were seen as important actors throughout the entire care process surrounding MAiD, from initial consultation all the way through to the administration of the assisted death. 13,16,17,21,23,24,27 Mental health providers were likely to encounter patients exploring MAiD among those with depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders, which may or may not be tied to a terminal diagnosis.…”

“…17 However, nurses alongside physicians were seen as important actors throughout the entire care process surrounding MAiD, from initial consultation all the way through to the administration of the assisted death. 13,16,17,21,23,24,27 Mental health providers were likely to encounter patients exploring MAiD among those with depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders, which may or may not be tied to a terminal diagnosis. 29e31 In some cases, it was recommended that patients requesting MAiD be referred to a mental health provider to receive additional information and supports to help navigate end-of-life decision making.…”

“…16,17,21e23 As an example, one survey of nurses in The Netherlands found that only 24% reported being involved in at least one physician decision about a request for euthanasia. 17 In addition, the lack of communication between physicians and pharmacists was problematized by Rupp, who determined that physician failure to inform a pharmacist of MAiD could cause potential moral and legal problems and compromise the overall quality of pharmaceutical care. 39 Voorhees et al found jurisdictional variation in the likelihood of eliciting support from other professionals and colleagues, whereby physicians in the Northeast U.S. were perceived to be in relative isolation and thus rarely spoke to colleagues about MAiD and rather relied on personal contacts, such as a spouse.…”

Implementation of Medical Assistance in Dying: An evaluation of clinician knowledge and perceptions at a large urban multi-site rehabilitation centre in Toronto

“…[21,22] Alternatively, future research may set out to evaluate physician's knowledge and perceptions related to MAID in order to highlight any differences. As a healthcare provider's role in MAID varies based on occupation, it would be valuable to compare the results of these two populations to determine if any similarities or differences exist so educational resources can be tailored to specific groups of healthcare providers.…”

Ärztlich assistierter Suizid – Umfrage zu § 217 StGB

“…Allerdings sieht auch etwa ein Drittel der Befragten die ärztliche Gewissenfreiheit durch diese Regelung als eingeschränkt an. Diese Frage wurde auch den Pflegenden gestellt, da sie eng in die Therapie am Lebensende involviert sind, obwohl sie zu entsprechenden Handlungen nicht legitimiert sind [32]. Die Therapiefreiheit war nur von einer Minderheit als eingeschränkt angesehen worden.…”