• Andrea Rodríguez-Prat, Denise Pergolizzi, Iris Crespo, Joaquim Julià-Torras, Albert Balaguer, Kerstin Kremeike, Raymond Voltz, and Cristina Monforte-Royo.
• Faculty of Humanities, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (A.R.-P.), Josep Trueta s/n, Barcelona, Spain.
• J Pain Symptom Manage. 2024 Aug 1; 68 (2): e91e115e91-e115.

ContextA systematic review of the wish to hasten death among people with life-limiting conditions was published in 2011. Since then, other reviews and primary studies have been published that have added to knowledge regarding the conceptual definition, aetiology and assessment of the wish to hasten death.ObjectivesTo provide an updated synthesis of the literature on the wish to hasten death in people with life-limiting conditions.MethodsAn overview of systematic reviews and primary studies was conducted, using an integrative review method. PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus and Web of Science databases were searched, from their inception until 2023. We included all systematic reviews published to date and all primary studies not included in these systematic reviews.ResultsEleven systematic reviews and 35 primary studies were included. We propose that the phenomenon may usefully be considered as existing along a continuum, defined by the extent to which thoughts of dying are linked to action. A total of nine assessment tools have been described. The reported prevalence of the wish to hasten death appears to be influenced by the wording used in assessment instruments, as well as by the cut-off used when applying a particular tool. Depression, pain, functional disability, decreased sense of meaning in life, the sense of being a burden and reduced quality of life are the most widely reported related factors.ConclusionThis overview underscores the need for clinical strategies that can identify different manifestations of the wish to hasten death among people with life-limiting conditions.Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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