Rural healthcare professionals’ participation in Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD): beyond a binary decision.

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dc.contributor.authorSedgwick, Monique
dc.contributor.authorBrassolotto, Julia
dc.contributor.authorManduca-Barone, Alessandro
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-24T19:59:33Z
dc.date.available2024-08-24T19:59:33Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.descriptionOpen access article. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0) applies
dc.description.abstractBackground Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) was legalized in Canada in 2016 and amended in 2021. At the time that this study was conducted, the federal government was considering expanding the eligibility criteria to include patients whose death was not reasonably foreseeable. The purpose of this study was to better understand rural healthcare professionals’ experiences with assisted dying set against the backdrop of legislative expansion. Methods A qualitative exploratory study was undertaken with general rural practice physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, ethicists, patients, and patient families in rural Southern Alberta, Canada. For this paper, data from 18 audio-recorded and transcribed semi-structured interviews with healthcare professionals were analyzed using thematic analysis. Categories and patterns of shared meaning that linked to an overarching theme were identified. Results Between the binary positions of full support for and conscientious objection to assisted dying, rural healthcare professionals’ decisions to participate in MAiD was based on their moral convictions, various contextual factors, and their participation thresholds. Factors including patient suffering; personal and professional values and beliefs; relationships with colleagues, patients and family, and community; and changing MAiD policy and legislation created nuances that informed their decision-making. Conclusions The interplay of multiple factors and their degree of influence on healthcare professionals’ decision making create multiple decision points between full support for and participation in MAiD processes and complete opposition and/or abstention. Moreover, our findings suggest evolving policy and legislation have the potential to increase rural healthcare professionals’ uncertainty and level of discomfort in providing services. We propose that the binary language typically used in the MAiD discourse be reframed to reflect that decision-making processes and actions are often fluid and situational
dc.description.peer-reviewYes
dc.identifier.citationSedgwick, M., Brassolotto, J., & Manduca-Barone, A. (2024). Rural healthcare professionals’ participation in Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD): Beyond a binary decision. BMC Palliative Care, 23, Article 107. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-024-01440-4
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/6886
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherSpringer Nature
dc.publisher.facultyHealth Sciences
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Lethbridge
dc.publisher.urlhttps://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-024-01440-4
dc.subjectAssisted death
dc.subjectMedical assistance in dying
dc.subjectPalliative care
dc.subjectEnd-of-life
dc.subjectHealthcare professionals
dc.subjectNurses
dc.subjectPhysicians
dc.subjectNurse practitioner
dc.subjectClinical ethicist
dc.subjectLegislation
dc.subjectMAiD
dc.subjectRural healthcare professionals
dc.subject.lcshAssisted suicide--Canada
dc.subject.lcshPalliative treatment--Canada
dc.subject.lcshDeath--Canada
dc.subject.lcshMedical personnel--Canada
dc.titleRural healthcare professionals’ participation in Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD): beyond a binary decision.
dc.typeArticle
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