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Commentary on: Gamondi C, Fusi-Schmidhauser T, Oriani A, et al. Family members’ experiences of assisted dying: a systematic literature review with thematic synthesis. Palliat Med 2019;33:1091–105. doi: 10.1177/0269216319857630.
Implications for practice and research
Family support positively influences patient engagement in assisted dying.
Future research is needed to identify and incorporate family needs into evidenced-based assisted dying guidelines.
Context
Though assisted dying is a growing practice, it is not legally permissible throughout the world. Currently, only 176 million people worldwide have legal access to this practice.1 It encompasses two practices: assisted suicide and active euthanasia.2 While rates of assisted dying have increased in countries legally allowing the practice, family requirements differ geographically based on the model of assisted dying used.1 This variability in family …
Footnotes
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Commissioned; internally peer reviewed.