Nurses' perception about euthanasia practice: a bioethical reflection
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i6.29228Keywords:
Nursing care; Euthanasia; Bioethics; Teaching.Abstract
Introduction: Euthanasia and assisted suicide are practices that shorten the lives of people who are in unbearable suffering and with no prospect of improvement. It is possible to recognize that the actions of nurses, as members of the health team, are aligned with the four pillars of principlist bioethics (beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy and justice) that contribute to preserving the rights of the patient as a person in conditions of vulnerability, providing the guarantee of actions based on sensitive, dignified and safe care. Objective: To describe nurses' perceptions about the practice of euthanasia in line with principlist bioethics. Methods: This is an integrative literature review, carried out from June to July 2021, through the virtual health library, with the descriptors “Nursing care” AND Euthanasia AND Bioethics. Results and Discussion: After evaluating the established criteria, 09 articles remained for analysis. The results suggested different perspectives: on the one hand, professionals reported not being in favor of euthanasia, and they consider the need for further debate on the subject. On the other hand, there were opinions in favor of carrying it out when they mentioned that in some situations euthanasia can alleviate the suffering of the terminally ill patient. Final considerations: It is important for nurses to be able to work on the theme of euthanasia in their training, guiding their practice based on theoretical concepts and legal principles.
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Copyright (c) 2022 Jessica Kelly Ramos Cordeiro; Monique de Freitas Gonçalves Lima; Waleska Fernanda Souto Nóbrega; Milena Edite Casé de Oliveira; Juliana Cordeiro Carvalho; Fatima Maria da Silva Abrão; Aurélio Molina da Costa; Cláudia Santos Martiniano
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