ArticleNursing open2026
Supporting a Different Type of Death: Experiences of Family Members of Recipients of Medical Assistance in Dying.
Article in Nursing open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
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
aimTo explore the experiences of family members when a relative or close person receives medical assistance in dying.
designGuided by Interpretive Description methodology, this qualitative study was conducted across two settings. Participants included bereaved family members of individuals who received clinician-assisted medical assistance in dying when natural death was reasonably foreseeable and key informants connected to medical assistance in dying, palliative care and end-of-life organizations.
methodsData were collected between June 2020 and February 2021 through demographic surveys, in-depth interviews, documents and artifacts, field notes and analytic memos. Data collection and analysis occurred concurrently and iteratively, supporting the development of practice-relevant interpretations of family members' experiences.
resultsForty-six participants, including 31 bereaved family members and 15 key informants, participated. Three interpretive themes characterized family members' experiences: (a) 'They want medical assistance in dying, now what?', (b) 'Prepared but maybe not ready' and (c) 'An evolving understanding about this type of death'. Family members described navigating healthcare processes, assuming practical and emotional responsibilities, and negotiating their own beliefs while supporting the individual's decision. They also described meaningful opportunities for connection and farewell alongside uncertainty, moral strain and emotional upheaval. Supporting a relative's decision to pursue medical assistance in dying did not necessarily correspond to emotional preparedness for the death or subsequent bereavement.
conclusionMedical assistance in dying is experienced not only as an individual decision but also as a relational process with emotional, practical and moral implications for family members. A family-in-focus approach may complement person-centred care by increasing the visibility of family members throughout the MAiD trajectory. Proactive communication, recognition of emotional complexity, and access to psychosocial and bereavement support may better address the needs of family members while maintaining the autonomy of the individual accessing an assisted death. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No Patient or Public Contribution.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.