Article Text
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.
- nurses
- euthanasia
- nursing ethics
Statistics from Altmetric.com
Footnotes
-
↵* Examining the references for further articles; examining those articles’ references, and so on.
Read the full text or download the PDF:
Other content recommended for you
- Nurses’ views on their involvement in euthanasia: a qualitative study in Flanders (Belgium)
- The role of nurses in euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in The Netherlands
- Facing requests for euthanasia: a clinical practice guideline
- Non-physician-assisted suicide in The Netherlands: a cross-sectional survey among the general public
- Euthanasia and other end of life decisions and care provided in final three months of life: nationwide retrospective study in Belgium
- Assisted suicide and euthanasia in Switzerland: allowing a role for non-physicians
- The complexity of nurses’ attitudes toward euthanasia: a review of the literature
- Provision of medical assistance in dying: a scoping review
- What people close to death say about euthanasia and assisted suicide: a qualitative study
- Legal physician-assisted dying in Oregon and the Netherlands: evidence concerning the impact on patients in “vulnerable” groups