ArticleBMJ supportive & palliative care2023
Grief and bereavement of family and friends around medical assistance in dying: scoping review.
Article in BMJ supportive & palliative care, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed.
- MAiDHouse: a qualitative study on structured community-based support for grief and bereavement in Canada.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Approaching Young University Students' Suffering Following the Death of a Family Member: A Qualitative Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Realization of a Family Systems Care Unit: A Real-Life Laboratory for Clinical Practice, Education, and Research at a Swiss University of Applied Sciences.Journal of family nursing · 2026Article
- Grief, bereavement and prolonged grief disorder: scoping and mapping the evidence.BJPsych open · 2025Review
- 'This is perfect, thank you': Research poetry on gratitude for voluntary assisted dying in Victoria, Australia.Australasian journal on ageing · 2025Article
- "Walk me through the final day": A thematic analysis study on the family caregiver experience of the Medical Assistance in Dying procedure day.Palliative medicine · 2024Article
- Mapping MAiD Discordance: A Qualitative Analysis of the Factors Complicating MAiD Bereavement in Canada.Qualitative health research · 2024Article
- Views, Attitudes and Challenges When Supporting a Family Member in Their Decision to Travel to Switzerland to Receive Aid-In-Dying.International journal of public health · 2024Article
- Relatives' Experiences of Being Involved in Assisted Dying: A Qualitative Study.Qualitative health research · 2023Article
- Unacknowledged Pain and Disenfranchised Grief: A Narrative Analysis of Physical and Emotional Pain in Complex MAiD Bereavement Stories.Canadian journal of pain = Revue canadienne de la douleur · 2023Article
- Family caregivers bereaved by voluntary-assisted dying with a focus on motor neurone disease: the hidden patients.Palliative care and social practice · 2023Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThe increase in the number of jurisdictions legalising medical assistance in dying (MAiD) has contributed to a growth in the number of family and friends who may face unique elements of grief and bereavement. The aim of this study was to review the literature of grief and bereavement of family and friends following MAiD, and to summarise findings for the development of community resources and programming.
methodsWe performed a scoping review with workshop consultation of stakeholders. Six electronic databases and the grey literature were searched for qualitative, quantitative and review articles. Content-analytical techniques and multidisciplinary discussions led to the development of concepts and a conceptual framework.
resultsTwenty-eight articles met the inclusion criteria. We identified five concepts that impact the grief and bereavement of family/friends: relationships between family/friends and the patient as well as healthcare providers; aspects of MAiD grief which can include secrecy and/or anticipatory grief; preparations which may include family/friends and should be centralised and harmonised; end of life as an opportunity for ceremony; and the aftereffects during which mental health outcomes are studied.
conclusionThis multidisciplinary scoping review incorporates stakeholder consultation to find that support is needed to address the complicated and changing emotions of family/friends before, during and after a MAiD death. Furthermore, additional societal normalisation of MAiD is necessary to reduce secrecy and stigma and improve the accessibility of resources for family/friends.
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Registered trials
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