“I Should at Least Have the Feeling That It […] Really Comes from Within”: Professional Nursing Views on Assisted Suicide

BACKGROUND: Due to a decision by the German Federal Constitutional Court of February 26, 2020, it is currently possible in Germany to avail of assisted suicide. The ruling has given rise to a controversial debate within the professional community as well as in society in general. Within this debate, little attention has been given to the role of nursing staff in assisted suicide. However, international studies show that nurses play an important role in assisted suicide. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to assess the views and attitudes of nurses from different care settings in Germany toward assisted suicide. DESIGN: A qualitative research design was chosen to capture the subjective experience of nursing staff on suicide assistance. This was analyzed using the grounded theory method. METHODS: With the help of a semi-structured, narrative-generating interview guide, in which five case vignettes are integrated, 20 interviews were conducted with nursing professionals from different care settings throughout Germany. RESULTS: The analyzed phenomenon shows that nursing professionals need to understand the desire to die for themselves. The individual life situation of the respective patient is decisive. The action strategy based on being able to tolerate the wish to die determines how intensively they want to be involved before, during, and after assisted suicide. For nurses, however, it is undisputed that it is their professional role to accompany the patient in their “existence” and thus also in the context of assisted suicide. CONCLUSION: In view of the future development of assisted suicide in Germany, it seems necessary to prepare nursing professionals for activities related to assisted suicide by means of a curricular offer. In addition, nursing professionals should be supported in forming their own attitude to the issue.