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J Med Ethics 2004;30:494-498 doi:10.1136/jme.2003.004028
  • Clinical ethics

Involvement of nurses in euthanasia: a review of the literature

  1. T De Beer1,
  2. C Gastmans2,
  3. B Dierckx de Casterlé3
  1. 1Faculty of Medicine, Centre for Health Services and Nursing Research, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
  2. 2Faculty of Medicine, Centre for Biomedical Ethics and Law, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
  3. 3Faculty of Medicine, Centre for Health Services and Nursing Research, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
  1. Correspondence to:
 Ms T De Beer
 91 Gravenbosstraat, Liedekerke, B-1770, Belgium; tina.debeeradvalvas.be
  • Received 14 April 2003
  • Accepted 7 August 2003
  • Revised 10 July 2003

Abstract

In ethical debates about euthanasia, the focus is often exclusively on the involvement of physicians and the involvement of nurses is seldom given much attention. Yet nurses occupy a central position in the care of terminal patients, where being confronted with a euthanasia request is an ever present possibility. To assess the involvement of nurses in euthanasia, this article provides an overview of relevant findings from the scientific literature. From this it becomes apparent that nurses are involved in various phases of the euthanasia process: observing the request for euthanasia, decision making, carrying out of euthanasia, and the aftercare for the patient’s family members.

Footnotes

  • ↵* Examining the references for further articles; examining those articles’ references, and so on.

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