Telehealth use in Voluntary Assisted Dying

Principal Advisor: Dr Helen Haydon

Research group: Centre for Online Health

Organisational unit: Centre for Health Services Research

Using strict eligibility criteria, Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) laws are now passed in all Australian states. VAD permits an eligible person with a terminal illness to end their life through either self-administration or practitioner-administration of a VAD medication. VAD enables “people who are suffering and dying to choose the manner and timing of their death”. Although choice is a central tenet of VAD, people living in rural and remote locations lack choice if local health services are not providers. Telehealth effectively increases access to healthcare for such underserved populations. However, under federal legislation it may be a criminal offence for clinicians to discuss VAD via telehealth. Clinicians are uncertain about how to support people in rural and remote communities. Overseas, when appropriate, telehealth supports people to access VAD. This research investigates the impact of using (or not using) telehealth as a means of accessing VAD services on clinicians and consumers.