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Aim: To explore relatives' needs in terms of bereavement care during euthanasia processes, how healthcare providers respond to these needs, and the degree of commonality between relatives' and healthcare providers' reports. Design: A phenomenological design was employed, utilising reflexive thematic analysis to examine interviews conducted with relatives (N = 19) and healthcare providers (N = 47). Results: Relatives' needs throughout euthanasia processes are presented in five main themes and several subthemes, with similar findings between both sets of participants. Although relatives infrequently communicated their needs explicitly to healthcare providers, they appreciated it when staff proactively met their needs. Healthcare providers aimed to assist with the relatives' grief process by tending to their specific needs. However, aftercare was not consistently offered, but relatives did not have high expectations for professional follow‐up care. Conclusion: Our research offers important directions for healthcare professionals, empowering them to provide needs‐based bereavement care during euthanasia processes. Moreover, it emphasises the importance of recognising the unique needs of relatives and proactively addressing them in the period before the loss to positively contribute to relatives' grief process. Implications for the profession and/or patient care: Insights into relatives' needs in the context of euthanasia. Good practices on how healthcare providers can attend to relatives' needs before, during and after the loss Impact: Current literature and guidelines on needs‐based bereavement care in the context of euthanasia and, more generally, assisted dying, are limited. These findings provide concrete directions for practice in supporting (nearly) bereaved relatives in the context of euthanasia, potentially mitigating adverse health outcomes. Reporting method: Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR checklist). Patient or Public contribution: Relatives of deceased cancer patients were involved in the conduct of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent literature demonstrates an interdependence between relatives and healthcare providers throughout euthanasia processes. Yet, current guidelines and literature scarcely specify the interactions between healthcare providers and bereaved relatives. The aim of this work consisted of providing an insight into bereaved relatives' experiences (1) of being involved in euthanasia processes and (2) of their interactions with healthcare providers before, during, and after the euthanasia. The research process was guided by the principles of constructivist grounded theory. Nineteen Dutch-speaking bereaved relatives of oncological patients, who received euthanasia at home or in a hospital less than 24 months ago, participated via semi-structured interviews. These interviews were conducted between May 2021 and June 2022. Due to the intensity of euthanasia processes, relatives wanted to be involved as early as possible, in order to receive time, space, and access to professionals' support whilst preparing themselves for the upcoming loss of a family member with cancer. Being at peace with the euthanasia request facilitated taking a supportive attitude, subsequently aiding in achieving a serene atmosphere. A serene atmosphere facilitated relatives' grief process because it helped them in creating and preserving good memories. Relatives appreciated support from healthcare providers, as long as overinvolvement on their part was not occurring. This study advocates for a relational approach in the context of euthanasia and provides useful complements to the existing euthanasia guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patient-centeredness, respect for patient autonomy, and shared decision-making have now made it to center stage in discussions on quality of care. Knowing what actually counts in care and how it should be accomplished from the patients' and nurses' perspective seems crucial. Aim: To explore how patients and their nurses perceive the importance and enactment of values in their healthcare. Research design: An observational, cross-sectional study using a self-developed questionnaire, consisting of 15 items related to seven values (e.g. uniqueness, autonomy, professionalism, compassion, responsiveness, partnership, and empowerment) as described in the taxonomy of Bastemeijer et al. Participants and research context: The survey was completed by 384 patients and 81 nurses. Participants were recruited on eight internal medicine wards of a 1000-bed university hospital in Belgium. Ethical considerations: This study was approved by the ethical committee of the Ghent University Hospital (B670201836799). Findings: (1) Patients and nurses prioritize values of care differently; (2) nurses report not being able to enact the values they prioritize in actual practice as much as one would like to; and (3) there is a gap in experienced delivery of a comprehensible explanation of all treatment options, a conversation based on equality, making shared decisions, and being non-judgmental between nurses and patients. Discussion: Our findings challenge nurses' overemphasis on professional compassion and uniqueness while arguing for increased attention on authentic shared decision-making and empowerment. The first step to a patient-centered culture truly involving patients in their healthcare is communication and information provision, rather than focusing on tangible and normative constructs. Conclusion: Our findings revealed differences in prioritization and actual enactment of values in care between patients and nurses. This was especially so for values related to communication, provision of complete unbiased information, and shared decision-making. Nurses should prioritize providing comprehensible information and using conversations based on equality to make decision together with patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The aim of this study was to explore how nurses and care-assistants (nursing staff) working in six Flemish nursing homes experience and describe their involvement in grief care. Background Although grief in older people is widely described in literature, less is known about how nursing staff in nursing homes offer and perceive grief care. Design A qualitative research design with elements of constructivist grounded theory was used. Methods Loosely structured face-to-face interviews were done with fourteen nurses and care-assistants. Data were collected from October 2013-March 2014. Interview transcripts were analysed using the Qualitative Analysis Guide of Leuven ( QUAGOL) method with support of NVivo 10. Findings Grief care in nursing homes is characterized by a complex tension between two care dimensions: (1) being involved while keeping an appropriate distance; and (2) being while doing. Nursing staff described key enablers and influencing factors for grief care at the level of both the individual and the organizational context. Conclusion Findings suggest an established personal sensitivity for grief care considered from the nursing staff points of view. Nevertheless, a common denominator was the necessity to further develop a supportive and multidisciplinary grief care policy ingrained in the existing care culture. Suggested components of this grief care policy are: (a) centring attention on non-death-related loss and the cumulative nature of loss in residents; (b) building capacity by means of reflective practices; and (c) the importance of self-care strategies for nursing staff. Furthermore, the findings from this study point towards a need for education and training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]