Background

Like many countries where voluntary assisted dying (VAD) is legal, eligible doctors in Victoria, Australia, have sole legal authority to provide it. Doctors’ attitudes towards legalised VAD have direct bearing on their willingness to participate in VAD and consequently, on whether permissive laws can effectively facilitate access to VAD. The study aimed to explore how some Victorian doctors are perceiving and experiencing the provision of legalised VAD under a recently commenced law.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews with 25 Victorian doctors with no in-principle objection to legalised VAD were conducted between July 2019-February 2020. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using thematic analysis. Ethical approval from the relevant institution was obtained.

Results

Doctors perceive or experience VAD to fundamentally challenge traditional medical practice. Barriers to access to VAD derive from applicant, communication, and doctor-related factors. Doctors’ willingness to participate in VAD is situation specific.

中文翻译：

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医生会开什么处方：在澳大利亚提供自愿辅助死亡的医生经验

背景

与许多自愿协助死亡 (VAD) 合法的国家一样，澳大利亚维多利亚州符合资格的医生拥有提供自愿协助死亡 (VAD) 的唯一合法权力。医生对VAD合法化的态度，直接关系到他们参与VAD的意愿，进而关系到宽松的法律能否有效促进VAD的获得。该研究旨在探讨一些维多利亚州医生如何看待和体验根据最近生效的法律提供合法化的 VAD。

方法

2019 年 7 月至 2020 年 2 月期间，对 25 名原则上不反对 VAD 合法化的维州医生进行了半结构化访谈。访谈内容通过主题分析进行记录、转录和分析。已获得相关机构的伦理批准。

结果

医生认为或经历VAD从根本上挑战传统医疗实践。获得 VAD 的障碍源于申请人、沟通和医生相关因素。医生参与 VAD 的意愿取决于具体情况。