Supporting nursing roles in medical assistance in dying: Development and evaluation of an evidence-based reflective guide

Abstract

Objective: To develop and evaluate an evidence-based online Reflective Guide to prepare Registered Nurses and Nurse Practitioners for important professional, personal, and relational roles in MAID in Canada. Methods: The Reflective Guide was developed inductively from qualitative interviews with 120 Canadian nurses. The online Guide contains a 15 min documentary video and five areas of content: nurses' experiences, making moral sense of MAID, best practices, common dilemmas, and self-care strategies. Online visitors to the Guide were asked to participate in a mixed-method evaluation of the Guide. Results: Participants rated their experiences with the Guide highly, indicating that it helped them develop further insights about MAID and strengthened their practice. Qualitative responses revealed an array of emotions that resulted from the philosophic, moral, and professional wrestling that is characteristic of this new practice. Conclusion: The positive responses to the Guide, and the complexity of the responses submitted by respondents, attest to the effectiveness of the Guide and the importance of preparing nurses for the personal and professional aspects of MAID-related practice. Innovation: The MAID Reflective Guide is an effective innovation for nurses as evidenced by its uptake. In the first year the Guide received 2300 unique learners from 30 countries.

Keywords

• Euthanasia
• Medical assistance in dying
• Nursing education
• Reflective practice