Voluntary assisted dying: impacts on health professionals

Area of Science:

• Health Policy
• Medical Ethics
• Sociology of Health

Background:

• Voluntary assisted dying (VAD) legislation is a significant policy change in Australia.
• Understanding health professionals' experiences is vital for policy development and legislative adjustments.
• This study examines VAD impacts on doctors and nurses across different Australian states.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore Australian health professionals' perspectives on voluntary assisted dying (VAD).
• To compare the impacts of VAD legislation on professionals in Victoria and Western Australia.
• To identify challenges and support needs for clinicians involved in VAD.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional survey design targeting doctors and nurses nationwide.
• Utilized closed and open-ended questions, piloted for reliability.
• Quantitative data analyzed descriptively; qualitative data thematically analyzed using NVivo.

Main Results:

• A sample of 223 health professionals participated.
• Identified impacts include inadequate remuneration, need for ongoing support, and barriers to mandatory training.
• Clinicians reported challenges related to VAD implementation and workload.

Conclusions:

• Unaddressed impacts threaten health practitioner workforce sustainability.
• Remuneration for VAD practitioners requires attention, potentially via dedicated Medicare Benefits Schedule items.
• Incentivizing training and providing robust staff support (debriefing, mentoring) are essential.