Maybe for unbearable suffering: Diverse racial, ethnic and cultural perspectives of assisted dying. A scoping review.
Palliat Med
; : 2692163241268449, 2024 Aug 10.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39126283
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Assisted dying, also commonly known as euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, is legal in many countries. Interest in assisted dying is growing due to evolving societal understandings of a good death and a desire for choice. Ethico-legal perspectives are well-known, but as societies become more heterogenous, a greater understanding of the perspectives of people from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds is needed.AIM:
To explore perspectives of people from diverse racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds about assisted dying.DESIGN:
Scoping review with narrative synthesis. The protocol was registered with Open Science Framework. DATA SOURCES Medline, CINAHL Complete, PsycINFO and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global were searched from inception to May 2023. Citations were independently assessed against inclusion and exclusion criteria.RESULTS:
Of the 17 included studies, perspectives of assisted dying were presented according to religion, religiosity, spirituality, race, ethnicity and ancestry. Perspectives were diverse, presenting more as a spectrum, with multiple intersections and interconnections. Support and/or opposition for assisted dying differed according to cultural attributes, but even amongst those with similar cultural attributes, perspectives differed according to life experiences and notions of suffering.CONCLUSION:
Perspectives on assisted dying are dynamic and evolving. Even where assisted dying is legalised, individual's cultural attributes contribute to unique perspectives of assisted dying as an end-of-life option. Thus, understanding a person's culture, beliefs, expectations and choices in illness, treatment goals and care is fundamental, extending beyond what may be already considered as part of clinician-patient care relationships and routine advance care planning.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Journal:
Palliat Med
Journal subject:
SERVICOS DE SAUDE
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country: