Involvement of nurses in euthanasia: a review of the literature

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 presen...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: De Beer, T. (Author) ; Gastmans, C. (Author) ; Dierckx de Casterlé, B. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: BMJ Publ. 2004
In: Journal of medical ethics
Year: 2004, Volume: 30, Issue: 5, Pages: 494-498
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Summary: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.
ISSN:1473-4257
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of medical ethics
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1136/jme.2003.004028