Doctors urged not to discuss ‘effect of lethal substances’ in VAD telehealth consults
They may risk breaking the federal law, says palliative care physician Dr Roger Hunt
Doctors in WA have been warned to avoid talking about lethal substances, what is involved in taking them or their effects when conducting telehealth consults with terminally ill patients considering voluntary assisted dying.
The advice follows the launch of the state’s voluntary euthanasia scheme last week.
The eligibility criteria and assessment process for patients are similar to the model operating in Victoria.
However, unlike Victoria, there are clauses in WA’s legislation which have been designed to allow doctors and patients to discuss voluntary euthanasia by telehealth in situations where face-to-face consultations are impractical.
