Introduction Aid in dying (AID) means supporting a person in hastening their death voluntarily. Decision-making on this existential, very personal, and ethically complex issue is a major challenge and communication between people seeking AID and health care professionals is an important aspect. Thus, we aimed to explore the current state regarding interpersonal AID decision-making processes from multiple perspectives.

Methods For this scoping review, we searched Web of Science, PubMed, and CINAHL. We sought records on AID in a professional healthcare context that reported on interpersonal aspects of decision- making processes.

Results We included n=109. Records showed a great variety of participants in AID decision-making processes and mentioned professionalized and/or team approaches. Several, possibly iterative process phases (e.g. beginning, assessment, preparation, realization, aftercare) and overarching themes such as coordination, patient-centered care, and multidisciplinary teamwork were described. A range of decisions that need to be made by different stakeholders was found. This complex process requires appropriate communication skills. For example, going from vague requests to informed decisions in a shared process and fulfilling patient-centered care needs and procedural requirements simultaneously. Examples of facilitators for such processes were a trusting pre-existing patient-clinician-relationship, guidelines, and an open, curious, caring, and non-judgmental attitude. Examples of challenges were power imbalances, subjective interpretations by clinicians, and the need for clinicians’ self-reflection.

Discussion This scoping review summarized the current state of knowledge on interpersonal decision- making processes about AID in healthcare. Several studies have addressed such processes. However, there was a need for comprehensive synthesis and still is for additional research to allow clear practice implications and actionable recommendations.

Conclusion The knowledge gained in this study can structure future research on AID and inform the socio-political debate and implementation efforts in routine healthcare.