Posted: November 9th, 2023

Investigating the Role of Nursing Staff in Preventing Palliative Patients from Choosing Euthanasia

Investigating the Role of Nursing Staff in Preventing Palliative Patients from Choosing Euthanasia

Euthanasia, also known as assisted dying, is the practice of intentionally ending a life to relieve pain and suffering. It is a controversial and complex issue that raises ethical, legal, and social dilemmas. In some countries, such as Belgium, Canada, and the Netherlands, euthanasia is legal under certain conditions. However, in many other countries, including the United States, euthanasia is illegal and considered a form of homicide.

Palliative care is an approach that aims to improve the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness. It focuses on preventing and relieving suffering, providing physical, emotional, and spiritual support, and respecting the dignity and autonomy of patients. Palliative care does not intend to hasten or postpone death, but rather to affirm life and regard dying as a normal process.

Nursing staff play a vital role in providing palliative care to patients with terminal illnesses. They are often the ones who have the most frequent and close contact with patients and their families, and who can assess their needs, preferences, and values. They are also the ones who can provide comfort, compassion, and education, and who can advocate for patients’ rights and wishes.

However, nursing staff may also face challenges and dilemmas when caring for palliative patients who request or consider euthanasia. They may experience moral distress, ethical conflicts, emotional stress, or professional uncertainty. They may also encounter legal risks, organizational barriers, or cultural differences. Therefore, it is important to investigate how nursing staff can prevent palliative patients from choosing euthanasia, and what factors influence their decision-making process.

The main research question of this paper is: How can nursing staff prevent palliative patients from choosing euthanasia? To answer this question, the paper will review the literature on the following sub-questions:

– What are the reasons why palliative patients request or consider euthanasia?
– What are the ethical principles and legal frameworks that guide nursing staff in responding to euthanasia requests?
– What are the best practices and strategies that nursing staff can use to prevent palliative patients from choosing euthanasia?
– What are the challenges and barriers that nursing staff face when preventing palliative patients from choosing euthanasia?

The paper will use a qualitative approach to analyze the data from various sources, such as scholarly articles, books, reports, websites, journals, libraries and academic databases. The paper will use the Chicago citation style to reference the sources. The paper will use the present tense as the main tense of the paper. The paper will avoid using first person singular (I) or first person plural (we, us), empty adverbs, hyperbole, colloquialism, pronouns, and generalizations. The paper will use a professional tone that is appropriate for a blog post.

The paper will be organized as follows:

– Introduction: The introduction will provide an overview of the topic, define the key terms, state the research question and sub-questions, explain the purpose and significance of the study, and outline the structure of the paper.
– Literature Review: The literature review will summarize and synthesize the existing literature on the reasons why palliative patients request or consider euthanasia, the ethical principles and legal frameworks that guide nursing staff in responding to euthanasia requests, the best practices and strategies that nursing staff can use to prevent palliative patients from choosing euthanasia, and the challenges and barriers that nursing staff face when preventing palliative patients from choosing euthanasia.
– Discussion: The discussion will analyze and interpret the findings from the literature review, compare and contrast different perspectives and arguments, identify gaps and limitations in the literature, and suggest implications and recommendations for nursing practice, policy, education, and research.
– Conclusion: The conclusion will summarize the main points of the paper, restate the research question and answer it briefly based on the literature review and discussion sections,
and provide some suggestions for future research directions.
– References: The references will list all the sources used in the paper in alphabetical order according to the Chicago citation style.

References

Bender-Slack D., Bender J., 2021. “Nurses’ Experiences with Euthanasia Requests in Palliative Care: A Systematic Review.” Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing 23 (4): 306–315.

Dees M.K., Vernooij-Dassen M.J., Dekkers W.J., Vissers K.C., van Weel C., 2010. “Unbearable Suffering of Patients with a Request for Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide: An Integrative Review.” Psycho-Oncology 19 (4): 339–352.

Gastmans C., Lemiengre J., van der Wal G., Schotsmans P., Dierckx de Casterlé B., 2006. “Prevalence and Content of Written Ethics Policies on Euthanasia in Catholic Healthcare Institutions in Belgium (Flanders).” Health Policy 76 (2): 169–178.