Alberta physicians share perspective on MAID and Bill 18 in new AMA survey

New data shows where Alberta heath-care professionals stand on proposed changes to Medical Assistance in Dying in Alberta. Hannah Lepine has details.

New data shows where Alberta health-care professionals stand on proposed changes to medical assistance in dying (MAID).

The Alberta Medical Association’s (AMA) Pulse Survey focused on MAID policy and Bill 18.

The survey received 1,542 responses, including 1,306 physicians currently practicing in Alberta.

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The AMA says this represents an 11.4 per cent response rate, with an estimated margin of error of ±2.6%.

About 20 per cent of the survey sample reported direct involvement in MAID, while the majority do not directly participate but nonetheless encounter MAID policy through patient care or referral responsibilities.

Ottawa legalized assisted dying for adults a decade ago, allowing Canadians with serious, incurable illness to receive help ending their lives.

Alberta Health Services says 1,242 people died through MAID in the province last year, though the statistic isn’t broken down by eligibility factors.

In March, the Alberta Government introduced Bill 18 to change how MAID is accessed, discussed, and delivered.

If passed, Bill 18 would limit MAID to those likely to die of natural causes within a year.

The survey found 56 per cent of respondents view that timeline as inappropriate and misaligned with a physician’s ability to accurately predict timelines for a disease’s natural progression. Respondents further expressed concerns that this requirement “could restrict access for patients who would otherwise be eligible under federal law.”

Bill 18 would also block MAID from minors, those whose sole condition is a mental illness, and prohibit requests made by patients in advance, like those recently diagnosed with Dementia.

Advance requests are currently allowed in other jurisdictions like Quebec for people to consent while lucid before losing capacity.

Under Bill 18, doctors would no longer be allowed to initiate a conversation about MAID with a patient.

More than half of survey respondents say this blanket prohibition undermines medical professionals’ current obligation to go over all legally available treatment options.

The survey also raises questions around requirements related to family presence, and additional documentation and procedures.

The AMA is requesting the Alberta Government take a brief pause to allow for consultation and clarifications with physicians.

It says member concerns would be better addressed through targeted refinement of Bill 18, and more reliance on clinical standards and policies, rather than restrictive eligibility rules alone.

As per the Legislative Assembly of Alberta website, Bill 18 is expected to be discussed during Mondays committee meeting of the whole.