Grant: Operating Grant: SickKids-CIHR-IHDCYH New Investigator Grants

<html> <head> </head> <body> <p class="MsoNormal"> Background/Significance: Little is known about the meaning that mature minors make of death, dying and current care options such as palliative care, at the end of life. Currently, access to Medical Assistance in Dying is being considered for expansion to include mature minors. Yet, little evidence exists to support this expansion. Instead, research is urgently needed to explore the ethical meaning that end of life holds for mature minors. Such knowledge will shed light around how mature minors can be ethically supported in the end of life. Notably, the majority of studies on end of life care for children in Canada have focused exclusively on palliative care. Studies in Canada have not been conducted on mature minor&#8217;s preferences around their end of life care requests and what this means for them and their families. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the meaning that death, dying and end of life hold for mature minors, their families and caregivers in Canada. I seek to answer the following questions: 1) What meaning do death, dying hold for mature minors, their families and caregivers? 2) What are mature minors&#8217; meaningful preferences regarding end of life care and MAiD? </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> Methods: Interpretive phenomenology will be used as a methodology to engage in one-on-one interviews with mature minors, their families and caregivers in Canada. Iterative analysis will be used to identify and interpret themes arising across the collective accounts. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> Conclusions/Implications: Findings will help fill the gap on what it means for mature minors to die well in the face of their potential access to MAiD and by voicing what death and dying mean for them. </p> </body> </html>