AUSTRALIA | Palliative care and Voluntary Assisted Dying have been the focus of a new industry survey, with growing connections between the two.
A survey of the palliative care workforce has highlighted the growing intersection with Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) and some of the issues health professionals and the people and families in their care are facing.
Findings from the national survey conducted earlier this year by Palliative Care Australia (PCA) were presented at the Trans-Tasman Voluntary Assisted Dying Conference (VADCON) in Brisbane on 28 and 29 October.
PCA National Policy Director, Josh Fear said close to 900 health professionals working in specialist palliative care and primary care shared their insights and experiences with VAD.
“What we have heard from the sector is that the introduction of VAD in every state has led to an increase in conversations about end-of-life choices. That’s important because people choosing VAD should also have access to quality palliative care – it shouldn’t be one or the other,” said Fear.
“Encouragingly, the great majority of palliative care workers say they are comfortable providing information, support and care for someone accessing VAD. However, the findings I’ll share at VADCON also point to some challenges that warrant more attention, especially by providers who have a responsibility to facilitate patient choice.”
Key survey findings included how difficult it can be for patients and carers to navigate the VAD system, with only 24 percent of those working in primary care, and 43 percent of those working in specialist palliative care, agreeing that the VAD system is easy to navigate. This could in turn reflect lower levels of awareness of existing VAD navigation teams.
Just six percent of respondents in primary care felt that their work with VAD was appropriately compensated, while 46 percent disagreed. Eighteen percent of respondents say that the introduction of VAD has resulted in an increased demand for palliative care.
Only 57 percent of health staff working in private or nonprofit health services feel supported by their employer in facilitating VAD as a choice of patients, much lower than those working in public health settings (73 percent).
“Overwhelmingly the survey points to the fact that those who deliver palliative care recognise and respect VAD as a valid end-of-life choice,” Fear said.
Go Gentle Australia CEO Dr Linda Swan, said the PCA survey findings point to how palliative care and voluntary assisted dying services can - and do - work hand in hand.
“Our own State of VAD report showed that 80 percent of people choosing VAD are also receiving palliative care,” Dr Swan said.
“The PCA survey shows a similar result and builds on the body of evidence that the introduction of VAD has not lessened the demand for palliative care – in fact it may be increasing it. We support the close collaboration of both services, with the aim of making the path from one to the other less disjointed and easier for terminally ill people."
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