Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39671457›Full record

Observational studyPloS one2024

Suicide assistance in Germany: A protocol for a multi-perspective qualitative study to explore the current practice.

Sven Schwabe, Franziska A Herbst, Stephanie Stiel, Nils Schneider

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Sven SchwabeInstitute for General Practice and Palliative Care, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-3575-3817
Franziska A HerbstInstitute for General Practice and Palliative Care, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-2602-9277
Stephanie StielInstitute for General Practice and Palliative Care, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-5963-2526
Nils SchneiderInstitute for General Practice and Palliative Care, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSuicide assistance is as a complex process comprising a series of stages, ranging from initial consultations with patients about end-of-life options to counselling bereaved family members. The role of healthcare professionals and other practitioners in this process varies according to national regulations and procedural requirements. After a decision of the German Federal Constitutional Court in 2020, suicide assistance is unregulated in Germany but official data about the implementation of suicide assistance is lacking.

aimsThe project "ASEP-Assisted suicide in Germany: Exploring the practice" aims to generate and disseminate scientific knowledge on the practice of assisted suicide in Germany, based on the experiences of practitioners and family members.

methodsASEP is a prospective, observational, qualitative study comprising three phases. In Phase 1, expert interviews will be conducted to identify involved professional groups, issues and stages of the implementation of suicide assistance in Germany. In phase 2, experiences of practitioners and family members, who were involved in the practice of suicide assistance in Germany, will be collected via semi-structured interviews and analysed. In phase 3, findings of phase 2 will be discussed in focus groups with experts to identify linkages between the practice of assisted suicide and the healthcare system and to develop recommendations on how these linkages should be organised. DISCUSSION: The results of this study will gain insights into the practice of suicide assistance for the first time in Germany. The findings are expected to inform scientific societies, professional association, and policy makers about the current practice and provide recommendations for better linkages of assisted suicide with the healthcare system. In this way, the project provides an evidence-based impetus for a more transparent and well-founded handling of assisted suicide in the German healthcare system.

trial registrationThe study was prospectively registered in the German Clinical Trials Register (Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien) (Registration N° DRKS00034574; date of registration: 04 July 2024). The study is searchable under the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform Search Portal of the World Health Organization, under the German Clinical Trials Register number.

Indexed as

Qualitative ResearchSuicide, AssistedFamilyGermanyHealth PersonnelHumansProspective Studies

Identifiers

PMID39671457
PMCPMC11642949

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.