“Everything was both very fast and very slow at the same time”: heterochronic experiences of healthcare professionals in the provision of aid in dying in Spain

Salud Colect. 2026 May 20;22:e5972. doi: 10.18294/sc.2026.5972.

ABSTRACT

Since its enactment, Organic Law 3/2021 on the Regulation of Euthanasia has altered the experience and professional practice of numerous individuals within the healthcare field in Spain. This impact is evident in how these professionals perceive the various temporalities involved in the process. Using the notion of heterochrony, this article captures this multi-temporality through an interpretive phenomenological analysis of 29 interviews and three focus groups with professionals involved in medical aid in dying. The professionals report a multiplicity of overlapping and interacting times: the time of the law, the patient’s time, family time, bio-pharmacological times, and socio-historical time. Tensions are highlighted between the deadlines set by the law and the times experienced by applicants, or between bio-pharmacological temporalities and prevailing professional logics. The article also assesses temporal spaces to support families and transition toward an emerging professional paradigm. Managing this heterochrony poses a challenge for this new role. However, the assembly, synchronization, and composition of the different times could facilitate a harmonious implementation of the law, improving the experience of all involved.

PMID:42191565 | DOI:10.18294/sc.2026.5972