Prospective oversight and approval of assisted dying cases in Victoria, Australia: a qualitative study of doctors' perspectives.

BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care
Ben WhitePatsy Yates

Abstract

Assisted dying (AD) is increasingly becoming lawful internationally. While all AD models have oversight mechanisms, Victoria, Australia is rare in requiring formal approval before AD is permitted. Other jurisdictions are now enacting or implementing prospective approval models yet little is known about their operation. This paper reports the first empirical research internationally analysing the operation of a prospective approval model. This qualitative study recruited doctors involved in providing lawful AD during the first year of the Victorian AD system. Recruitment occurred through the mandatory training doctors providing AD must undertake. Semistructured interviews were undertaken predominantly through Zoom conferencing, transcribed and thematically analysed. 32 doctors from diverse specialties (including general practice) and diverse AD experiences were interviewed. Six themes were identified: (1) The primary gatekeeping to AD in practice was by the administrative Secretariat of the oversight body, the Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board, and not the government department who issues the final 'permit'; this may not have been intended by parliament. (2) The prospective oversight and approval process was bureaucratic and...Continue Reading

References

Jan 1, 1993·Perspectives in Biology and Medicine·F G Miller, J C Fletcher
Sep 18, 2007·International Journal for Quality in Health Care : Journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care·Allison TongJonathan Craig
Feb 19, 2008·The Medical Journal of Australia·Simon C KittoCarol Grbich
Feb 26, 2019·The Medical Journal of Australia·Ben P WhiteEliana Close
Sep 9, 2019·The Medical Journal of Australia·Bregje Onwuteaka-PhilipsenBen P White

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