Considerations for assessing frail older adults requesting medical assistance in dying

In 2016, medical assistance in dying (MAiD) was decriminalized in Canada with the passage of Bill C-14. Under Bill C-14, competent adults with a serious and incurable condition in an advanced state of irreversible decline who were experiencing intolerable physical or psychological suffering and whos...

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Veröffentlicht in:Canadian Medical Association journal (CMAJ) Jg. 194; H. 2; S. E51 - E53
Hauptverfasser: Engelhart, Sarah, Stall, Nathan M., Quinn, Kieran L.
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: Canada Elsevier Inc 17.01.2022
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Schlagworte:
Aged
Assisted suicide
Canada
Care and treatment
Charter of Rights-Canada
Conscientious objectors
COVID-19
Eligibility Determination
Euthanasia, Active, Voluntary - legislation & jurisprudence
Evaluation
Frail Elderly
Frailty
Geriatric Assessment
Humans
Internal Medicine
Legislation
Medical ethics
Medical prognosis
Older people
Patients
Social isolation
Canada
ISSN:0820-3946, 1488-2329, 1488-2329
Online-Zugang:Volltext
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Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:In 2016, medical assistance in dying (MAiD) was decriminalized in Canada with the passage of Bill C-14. Under Bill C-14, competent adults with a serious and incurable condition in an advanced state of irreversible decline who were experiencing intolerable physical or psychological suffering and whose death was reasonably foreseeable could be eligible for MAiD. After its passage, legal challenges were brought before the Superior Court of Quebec, who ruled that the original legislation was too restrictive and in violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This led to the passage of Bill C-7 in Mar 2021, which amended Canada's criminal code to remove "reasonably foreseeable death" as an eligibility criterion, thus creating 2 distinct pathways for MAiD, where death either is or is not reasonably forseeable. One patient population likely to be affected by these changes is older adults considered to be frail. Clinicians should consider whether factors contributing to frailty are reversible when considering requests for MAiD. MAiD for those in whom death is not reasonably forseeable is subject to additional safeguards including a minimum 90-day period for assessing eligibility and mandatory assessment by a clinician with expertise in the patient's condition.
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ISSN:0820-3946
1488-2329
1488-2329
DOI:10.1503/cmaj.210729