Oral Presentation Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2021

Early evidence from Victorian doctors at the voluntary assisted dying coalface (#69)

Lindy Willmott 1
  1. QUT, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Victoria was the first Australian State to enact voluntary assisted dying (VAD) legislation. The Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017 (Vic) was heralded as the safest in the world with its 68 safeguards. The policy objectives of the legislation were to allow access to VAD by individuals who are eligible under the legislation, while having sufficient safeguards to ensure VAD is not available to ineligible patients. This presentation reports on research undertaken of the first year’s operation of the VAD Act. Interviews were conducted of 32 doctors who had been involved in VAD, either as coordinating or consulting doctor, to explore their perspectives of how well (or otherwise) the law was operating in practice. The researchers conclude that while doctors were satisfied that the regulatory framework was effective to prevent ineligible patients from accessing VAD, it may also have adverse implications for access to VAD of eligible patients.