Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40003444›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2025

Assisted Suicide in Austria: Nurses' Understanding of Patients' Requests and the Role of Patient Symptoms.

Matthias Unseld, Alexa L Meyer, Tamina-Laetitia Vielgrader, Theresa Wagner, Dorothea König, Chiara Popinger, Bärbel Sturtzel, Gudrun Kreye, Elisabeth L Zeilinger

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing 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

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. From Hospital to Home: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Optimise Palliative Care Discharge Processes.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025
    Article
  5. 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

9 authors.

Matthias UnseldDepartment of Clinical Research SBG, Academy for Ageing Research, Haus der Barmherzigkeit, A-1160 Vienna, Austria.
Alexa L MeyerDepartment of Clinical Research SBG, Academy for Ageing Research, Haus der Barmherzigkeit, A-1160 Vienna, Austria.
Tamina-Laetitia VielgraderInstitute for Ethics and Law in Medicine, University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0009-0003-9183-9206
Theresa WagnerDepartment of Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, A-1010 Vienna, Austria.
Dorothea KönigDepartment of Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, A-1010 Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0000-0002-1492-8235
Chiara PopingerDepartment of Clinical Research SBG, Academy for Ageing Research, Haus der Barmherzigkeit, A-1160 Vienna, Austria.
Bärbel SturtzelDepartment of Clinical Research SBG, Academy for Ageing Research, Haus der Barmherzigkeit, A-1160 Vienna, Austria.
Gudrun KreyeClinical Division of Palliative Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital Krems, Mitterweg 10, A-3500 Krems, Austria.ORCID 0000-0003-0674-7079
Elisabeth L ZeilingerDepartment of Clinical Research SBG, Academy for Ageing Research, Haus der Barmherzigkeit, A-1160 Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0000-0002-0625-500X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study explores Austrian palliative and hospice care nurses' experiences regarding assisted suicide (AS). Following its legalization in 2022, occupational groups affected by the legislation, such as nurses, have been left without clear guidance or instructions on how to navigate this new landscape. This study aimed to explore how nurses perceive their patients' desire to die and its connection to the symptoms experienced by the patients. A cross-sectional online questionnaire survey was disseminated to all palliative and hospice care facilities in Austria and was eventually completed by 145 nurses, focusing on their understanding of patients' requests for AS and the severity of patients' symptoms. Factor analysis was used to identify symptom clusters, and Spearman rank correlations were employed to explore associations between nurses' understanding of AS and factors such as patient symptoms, nurse demographics, and attitudes toward AS. The results indicate that psychosocial factors, particularly loss of dignity (63.6%) and autonomy (76.4%), were the most frequently reported severe symptoms. Understanding patients' decisions was significantly associated with nurses' general support for AS (

Indexed as

Attitude of Health PersonnelNursesSuicide, AssistedAdultAustriaCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSurveys and Questionnairesdecision makingend-of-life careethicshealthcare legislationhospice caremedical assistance in dyingnursespalliative carepsychosocial symptoms

Identifiers

PMID40003444
PMCPMC11855785

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.