• Edwina Light, Ian Kerridge, George Skowronski, Venkatesha Venkatesha, Aravind Krishnamurthy, Suzanne Kuper, Kerrie Noonan, Philip Hoyle, Mark Arnold, Stephen Manley, Wade Stedman, and Linda Sheahan.
• Sydney Health Ethics, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
• Intern Med J. 2024 May 1; 54 (5): 724734724-734.

BackgroundIn the context of nationwide law reform, New South Wales (NSW) became the last state in Australia to legalise voluntary assisted dying (VAD) - commencing 28 November 2023. Clinicians have divergent views regarding VAD, with varying levels of understanding, support, and willingness to be involved, and these may have a significant impact on the successful implementation.AimsTo understand levels of support, understanding and willingness to be involved in VAD among clinical staff across NSW during implementation of VAD.MethodsA multisite, cross-sectional online survey of clinicians across four local health districts, assessing relevant demographics, awareness of and support for VAD legislation and willingness to be involved in different levels of VAD-related clinical activities.ResultsA total of 3010 clinical staff completed the survey. A majority of participants were aware of VAD legislation in NSW (86.35%) and supportive of it (76%), with nursing and allied health clinicians significantly more likely than medical specialists to express support. Among medical specialists, support was statistically more likely in those who did not care for patients at the end of life and those with limited knowledge of the legislation. Willingness of medical specialists to perform key roles was significantly lower, with 41.49% willing to act in coordinating or consulting roles, and only 23.21% as administering practitioners.ConclusionsThe majority of clinical staff surveyed across NSW supported VAD legislation. While many eligible clinicians were reluctant to be actively involved, sufficient numbers appear willing to provide VAD services, indicating that successful implementation should be possible.© 2023 The Authors. Internal Medicine Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

17 keywords...

hide…