Voluntary assisted dying in Australia and New Zealand: Exploring the potential for nurse practitioners to assess eligibility

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
File version

Accepted Manuscript (AM)

Author(s)
Hewitt, J
Grealish, L
Bonner, A
Griffith University Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Date
2022
Size
File type(s)
Location
Abstract

Background: The enactment of laws that permit voluntary assisted dying reflects community views about end-of-life choices for those who are suffering and dying and includes a commitment to equitable access. Australian and New Zealand voluntary assisted dying frameworks are embedded in healthcare and authorise medical practitioners to assess whether a person meets prescribed eligibility criteria for access to voluntary assisted dying. Aim: In this article, we argue that including nurse practitioners as assessing practitioners in Australian and New Zealand voluntary assisted dying frameworks can promote equitable access. Method: We demonstrate that nurse practitioners have the required education and skillset to assess eligibility, eligibility assessment is within their scope of practice, and recent evidence demonstrates that they may be more likely to participate in voluntary assisted dying than medical practitioners. Reviewing information relied on by lawmakers, we highlight the cursory consideration given to roles for nurse practitioners, and that their exclusion from assessing eligibility has not been justified. Conclusion: As new voluntary assisted dying laws are implemented in health services across Australia and New Zealand, research on the actual and potential contribution of nurse practitioners must be undertaken and reported. This will make it more likely that there is evidence to inform decisions about whether including nurse practitioners as assessing practitioners is feasible and necessary as laws are reviewed.

Journal Title

Collegian

Conference Title
Book Title
Edition
Volume
Issue
Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
Publisher link
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement

© 2022 Australian College of Nursing Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, providing that the work is properly cited.

Item Access Status
Note

This publication has been entered in Griffith Research Online as an advanced online version.

Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject

Nursing

Curriculum and pedagogy

Midwifery

Persistent link to this record
Citation

Hewitt, J; Grealish, L; Bonner, A, Voluntary assisted dying in Australia and New Zealand: Exploring the potential for nurse practitioners to assess eligibility, Collegian, 2022

Collections