Evidence Hub

First-Hand Recommendations for Nursing Management to Support Nurses Involved in the Process of Hastened Death: A Systematic Review of the Qualitative Evidence

Andrea Egger‐Rainer, Sarah Kristina Bublitz, Stefan Lorenzl, Christiane Eva Weck, Piret Paal

Journal of Nursing Management, 2023

6 citations

Abstract

Aim. The aim of this review was to support nursing management in creating frameworks for the care of people requesting hastened death, based on the best available evidence on the experiences of nurses. Background. The legalisation of hastened death presents nurses with a complex set of ethical and moral risks. The largely unregulated role of nurses in the politics of hastened death can lead to moral distress and burnout. Evaluation. A systematic database search was conducted in CINAHL, LIVIVO, Medline, OVID, and Web of Science. The meta-aggregative approach was used to synthesise the findings. Quality appraisal was done using criteria of the Joanna Briggs Institute. Key Issues. Sixteen studies from four different countries were included. Interview data were from 200 nurses. Meta-aggregation resulted in ten synthesised findings including the need for guidelines; time resources; a supporting team; and professional, social, and personal skills. Conclusions. A working environment with clear guidelines, sufficient resources, structured professional adjustment programmes, and educational measures is supportive for nurses. Implications for Nursing Management. Nursing management should create a professional strategy, guidelines, promote good team culture, implement education, and training activities.

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free