ArticleBMC palliative care2026
Family perspectives on high-quality MAiD service and delivery: a cross-Canada qualitative descriptive study.
Article in BMC palliative care, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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.
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
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Supporting a Different Type of Death: Experiences of Family Members of Recipients of Medical Assistance in Dying.Nursing open · 2026Article
- A qualitative study of the barriers to and facilitators of the delivery of medical assistance in dying services in Canada from the perspectives of involved professionals.BMC health services research · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMedical assistance in dying (MAiD) has been legal throughout Canada since 2016. Legislation has evolved to expand eligibility criteria to non-foreseeable natural deaths. A sole underlying medical condition of a mental illness will be included in March of 2027. Provinces and territories are responsible for the development and ongoing improvements to MAiD service and delivery. We aimed to understand the experiences of families and friends of recipients of MAiD and elicit recommendations to improve the quality of MAiD service and delivery and possibly inform future legislation.
methodsA qualitative descriptive design was utilized to best capture the personal experiences of family and friends of MAiD recipients in Canada. Social media posts and information sharing through end-of-life organizations invited individuals who self-referred for MAiD and family members to participate. Virtual interviews were completed using a semi-structured interview guide. Participants were specifically asked to provide recommendations for changes or improvements to MAiD service and delivery based on their experiences. Data was transcribed and a five-phase qualitative approach to coding and thematic analysis was employed.
resultsThirty-four family and friends from five provinces in Canada participated in the study. They shared their experiences of supporting 35 individuals who received MAiD. Three main themes were identified including the decision to have MAiD, emotional complexity and challenges with the MAiD process. Ten sub-themes identified were symptom burden, loss of autonomy and control, fear of future suffering, system barriers to care, accessibility, respectful and compassionate care, continuity of care, comprehensiveness and accuracy of assessments, guidance and information sharing and emotional support. Participant recommendations for improvements to MAiD service and delivery in Canada are included in this paper.
conclusionsParticipant experiences offer insight into ensuring early intervention that is holistic in nature is provided by a highly skilled healthcare team to individuals who request MAiD. This includes involving and supporting family members; addressing unmet care needs; and offering emotional support, information and guidance throughout the MAiD process.
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Registered trials
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.