“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

Eduard Moreno-Gabriel; Maria Verdaguer; Patricia Beroiz-Groh; Antonia Arreciado Marañón; Maria Feijoo-Cid; Miquel Domènech; Lupicinio Íñiguez-Rueda; Pere Toran-Monserrat

doi:10.18294/sc.2026.5972

“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

Eduard Moreno-Gabriel Doctor in Social Psychology. Researcher, Unitat de Suport a la Recerca Metropolitana Nord, Fundació Institut Universitari per a la Recerca a l'Atenció Primària de Salut Jordi Gol I Gurina, Mataró, Spain. , Maria Verdaguer Doctor in Social Psychology. Researcher, Unitat de Suport a la Recerca Metropolitana Nord, Fundació Institut Universitari per a la Recerca a l'Atenció Primària de Salut Jordi Gol I Gurina, Mataró, Spain. , Patricia Beroiz-Groh Doctor of Medicine. Physician, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain , Doctor of Medicine. Researcher, Unitat de Suport a la Recerca Metropolitana Nord, Fundació Institut Universitari per a la Recerca a l'Atenció Primària de Salut Jordi Gol I Gurina, Mataró, Spain. Professor, Universitat de Vic- Universitat Central de Catalunya, Manresa, Spain. , Antonia Arreciado Marañón Doctor in Nursing Science. Professor, Department of Nursing, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. , Maria Feijoo-Cid Doctor in Medical Anthropology. Professor, Department of Nursing, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. , Miquel Domènech Doctor in Philosophy and Letters. Professor, Department of Social Psychology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. , Lupicinio Íñiguez-Rueda Doctor in Philosophy and Letters. Professor, Department of Social Psychology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. , Pere Toran-Monserrat Doctor of Medicine and Translational Research. Coordinator, Unitat de Suport a la Recerca Metropolitana Nord, Fundació Institut Universitari per a la Recerca a l'Atenció Primària de Salut Jordi Gol I Gurina, Mataró, Spain. Professor, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain.

Received: 30 September 2025, Accepted: 14 April 2026, Published: 20 May 2026

https://doi.org/10.18294/sc.2026.5972

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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.

Keywords: Euthanasia, Time Perception, Professional Practice, Spain

Categories: Management, Healthcare models, Bioethics, Work

Funding: Departament de Salut, Generalitat de Catalunya | SLT021/21/000046

Full-text of the article is available for this language: Español.

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