Constructing Good Nursing Practice for Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada: An Interpretive Descriptive Study

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• End-of-Life Care
• Medical Ethics

Background:

• Nurses play a critical role in Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in Canada.
• Limited understanding exists regarding nurses' experiences with MAiD.
• MAiD is a significant development in end-of-life care options.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how nurses define and construct good nursing practice within the context of MAiD.
• To understand the lived experiences of nurses involved in MAiD procedures.
• To identify key elements of quality nursing care in MAiD.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative interview study utilizing Interpretive Description methodology.
• Semi-structured telephone interviews conducted with 59 nurses.
• Inductive data analysis to identify emergent themes.

Main Results:

• Nurses described "artful practice" to humanize the medicalized MAiD process.
• Key components of practice included establishing relationships, meticulous planning, orchestrating the death, and family support.
• A nursing focus on relationality was found to bridge moral divides associated with MAiD.

Conclusions:

• Nurses construct person-centered MAiD experiences through relationality and careful planning.
• Findings offer insights into best practices for nursing in MAiD.
• This study contributes to understanding quality nursing care in a complex end-of-life context.