Objective

To define the role and scope of nursing practice within the global context of the euthanasia process by reviewing international legislation and scientific literature.

Background

Euthanasia is a controversial ethical topic that has been widely discussed. The provision of euthanasia involves a multidisciplinary health care team, in which nurses often have secondary roles. However, nurses play key roles in all major healthcare processes. As increasing numbers of countries are currently regulating or considering the inclusion of euthanasia as a healthcare service, there is an urgent need to define nurses' roles and participation in this process.

Design

A scoping review of research published in English, Spanish, French, Dutch, or Portuguese between 1992 and April 2021 was undertaken. Medline (PubMed), CinahlPlus, EMBASE, WoS, PsycInfo, and Scopus were searched for eligible articles.

Methods

Data were analysed using an adapted version of Arksey and O'Malley's framework methodology. A total of 31 scientific papers, and 11 legislation documents were included.

Results

Analyses of current laws showed that few territories have legislation with well-defined nurses' roles. Based on the scientific research, we identified 15 roles and 80 tasks nurses assume during the euthanasia process. We divided our results into five categories: initial care and accompaniment, evaluation of patient's condition, euthanasia procedure, debriefing and notification, and overall role.

Conclusions

Nurses perform tasks throughout the euthanasia process. The review of the current legislation and the existing body of scientific literature showed a lack of legislation of the roles nurses assume, thus leading them to participate in practices outside of the legal framework. Policymakers should take into consideration the wide range of roles and tasks nurses assume in the provision of euthanasia to meet their educational and support needs and ensure they are effectively included in this complex process.

中文翻译：

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护士在安乐死中的作用：范围审查

客观的

通过审查国际立法和科学文献来定义护理实践在安乐死过程的全球背景下的作用和范围。

背景

安乐死是一个有争议的伦理话题，已被广泛讨论。安乐死的提供涉及一个多学科的医疗团队，其中护士通常扮演次要角色。然而，护士在所有主要的医疗保健过程中都发挥着关键作用。随着越来越多的国家目前正在规范或考虑将安乐死纳入医疗保健服务，迫切需要定义护士在这一过程中的角色和参与。

设计

对 1992 年至 2021 年 4 月期间以英语、西班牙语、法语、荷兰语或葡萄牙语发表的研究进行了范围审查。Medline (PubMed)、CinahlPlus、EMBASE、WoS、PsycInfo 和 Scopus 搜索了符合条件的文章。

方法

使用改编版的 Arksey 和 O'Malley 的框架方法分析数据。共收录科技论文31篇，立法文件11篇。

结果

对现行法律的分析表明，很少有地区有明确界定护士角色的立法。基于科学研究，我们确定了护士在安乐死过程中承担的 15 个角色和 80 项任务。我们将我们的结果分为五类：初始护理和陪伴、患者状况评估、安乐死程序、汇报和通知以及整体角色。

结论

护士在整个安乐死过程中执行任务。对现行立法和现有科学文献的审查表明，护士所承担的角色缺乏立法，从而导致他们参与法律框架之外的实践。政策制定者应考虑护士在提供安乐死时所承担的广泛角色和任务，以满足他们的教育和支持需求，并确保他们有效地参与这个复杂的过程。