{"id":51275,"date":"2020-01-22T12:16:35","date_gmt":"2020-01-22T17:16:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/?p=51275"},"modified":"2024-01-03T14:08:33","modified_gmt":"2024-01-03T19:08:33","slug":"what-medical-assistance-in-dying-looks-like-for-the-ottawa-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/healthy-tomorrows\/what-medical-assistance-in-dying-looks-like-for-the-ottawa-hospital\/","title":{"rendered":"What Medical Assistance in Dying looks like for The Ottawa Hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Medical Assistance in Dying has been legal in Canada since 2016. As the largest hospital in Eastern Ontario, The Ottawa Hospital developed a comprehensive program to provide MAiD to patients in the region. <\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you have been told that you have a limited time left to live, a great deal can suddenly feel out of your control. The central premise behind Medical Assistance in Dying is the ability to take back control of when and how you die.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By definition, Medical\nAssistance in Dying<\/a> (MAiD) is a procedure in which a patient is given\nmedications to intentionally and safely end their life. For people who have terminal\nillnesses from which they are going to die, MAiD is a way to maintain autonomy,\ndignity and control at the end of their life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust the idea of somebody knowing when and how they are going to die is such a foreign concept to a lot of people,\u201d said Mike Kekewich, Director of Clinical and Organizational Ethics at The Ottawa Hospital, and part of the team responsible for developing the MAiD program at the hospital. \u201cIt was important for our program to be extremely compassionate and patient-focused.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical Assistance in Dying legislation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

MAiD legislation<\/a> (Bill C-14<\/a>) was passed by the Canadian government in June, 2016 after several years of analysis, debate and discussion. The Ottawa Hospital had been preparing for the legislation and had a program in place when Bill C-14 became law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThere are several areas of MAiD legislation that could be open to interpretation. This includes the definition of death being reasonably foreseeable. You could make a case that all of our deaths are reasonably foreseeable. That phrase needed to be made clear in this legislation.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Compassion is one of The Ottawa Hospital\u2019s\ncore values, and it was central to the design of the Medical Assistance in\nDying program. Experts from a variety of areas were consulted such as\nclinicians, social work, ethics, and patient groups, in order to ensure that the\nprogram was comprehensive, and took into consideration all possible factors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe wanted to be as patient-centred as\npossible,\u201d said Kekewich. \u201cThere were many important aspects of the program,\nsuch as the ability to provide MAiD in the patient\u2019s home, or in a long-term\ncare home, not just at the hospital. That was one of the first things we\nthought about when developing the program.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That program, first developed for The Ottawa Hospital, became the standard for the region, and is now the Champlain Regional Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) Network<\/a>, in collaboration with multiple organizations throughout the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Questions remain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While the law has been in place since 2016,\nmany questions remain about how the law should be applied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are several areas of MAiD\nlegislation that could be open to interpretation,\u201d said Dr. Viren Naik, Medical\nDirector of the Champlain Regional MAiD Network. \u201cThis includes the definition\nof death being reasonably foreseeable. You could make a case that all of our\ndeaths are reasonably foreseeable. That phrase needed to be made clear in this\nlegislation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concept of \u201cnatural death being\nreasonably foreseeable\u201d for a patient to be eligible for MAiD is something that\nthe Quebec\nSupreme Court struck down in late 2019<\/a>. This has sparked further review of\nthe legislation by the federal government. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, the Canadian government has\nlaunched public consultations on the rules for Medical Assistance in Dying<\/a>.\nAs the public continues to think about MAiD and its implications, and as the\nlegislation evolves, we take a look at what the process looks like now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listen to the latest episode of On Call: The Ottawa Hospital Podcast to hear interviews from some of the key players who developed the Medical Assistance in Dying program at The Ottawa Hospital, now known as the Champlain Regional MAiD Network. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does MAiD involve?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is a shortened version of the entire\nprocess. Visit our MAiD\nwebpage<\/a> to learn more about the MAiD process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to receive Medical Assistance in\nDying, patients must submit a written request, which must be signed by two\npeople at the same time. One of the aspects of current MAiD legislation that is\nlikely to go under review is the requirement that witnesses can\u2019t be\nhealth-care professionals, or family or friends who may benefit (in a will for\nexample) from the patient\u2019s death. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The patient will then be assessed for MAiD\neligibility criteria<\/a> by a doctor or nurse practitioner. The list of\ncriteria is extensive and involves assessments like whether the patient is\ncapable of making informed decisions, whether their death is reasonably foreseeable,\nand whether their illness is serious and incurable, among many others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a minimum ten-day reflection period,\nthe procedure can be performed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ottawa Hospital MAiD team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Because Medical Assistance in Dying is a\ncomplex form of care, many different health professionals work together,\nincluding:<\/p>\n\n\n\n