How does regulation influence euthanasia practice in Belgium? A qualitative exploration of involved doctors' and nurses' perspectives.

ABSTRACT: Euthanasia has been legal in Belgium since 2002. Despite extensive research exploring Belgian euthanasia practice, investigations into its governing regulatory framework are limited. Existing studies that consider regulation take a 'siloed' approach, generally considering sources of regulation individually, including euthanasia legislation and euthanasia policies. This study obtains insights from providing health professionals on how the Belgian euthanasia regulatory landscape influences their euthanasia practice. We conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews from September 2022 to March 2024 with eligible physicians and nurses and analysed them using a reflexive approach to thematic analysis. We generated three overarching themes describing the influence of regulation on euthanasia pr

SUBMITTER: Archer M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11783285 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature