• Christian Beardsley, Kilian Brown, and Charbel Sandroussi.
• Department of Upper GI Surgery, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
• ANZ J Surg. 2018 Oct 1; 88 (10): 956-958.

AbstractSurgeons play a significant role in the treatment of patients with many types of cancer, including the management of advanced and recurrent disease after long periods of apparent remission. The recently introduced Victorian Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) Act represents a shift in paradigm in Australian medical practice. To be eligible for VAD, the new legislation requires patient assessment by a physician with at least 5 years post-fellowship experience and relevant expertise in the patient's condition. Given many specialist surgeons' experience in managing advanced and often incurable malignancy, it is likely that many will receive referrals for assessment for VAD. It is foreseeable that other states and territories in Australia will follow suit with similar legislation. It is imperative that surgeons receiving referrals to assess patients seeking access to VAD are familiar with the legislation and assessment process. This article summarizes the current regulation of VAD in Australia, including the patient application and assessment process, briefly reviews world-wide assisted dying practices and discusses the relevance to surgeons practicing in Australia.© 2018 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

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