Access to voluntary assisted dying in Victoria: a qualitative study of family caregivers’ perceptions of barriers and facilitators

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate barriers to and facilitators of access to voluntary assisted dying in Victoria under the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017 (Vic). Design, setting, participants: Qualitative study; semi-structured interviews with people who had applied for voluntary assisted dying or their family caregivers, recruited via social media and interested advocacy groups; interviews conducted 17 August – 26 November 2021. Main outcome measures: Barriers to and facilitators of access to voluntary assisted dying. Results: We interviewed 33 participants about 28 people who had applied for voluntary assisted dying; all but one of the interviews were with family caregivers after their relatives’ deaths, and all but three were conducted via Zoom. The major barriers to access identified by participants were finding trained and willing doctors to assess eligibility for voluntary assisted dying; the time required for the application process (especially given how ill the applicants were); the prohibition of telehealth consultations; institutional objections to voluntary assisted dying; and the prohibition of health practitioners raising voluntary assisted dying with their patients. The major facilitators mentioned were care navigators (both the Statewide service and local navigators); finding a supportive coordinating practitioner; the Statewide Pharmacy Service; and system flow once the process had been initiated (although not during the early days of voluntary assisted dying in Victoria). Access was particularly difficult for people in regional areas or with neurodegenerative conditions. Conclusions: Access to voluntary assisted dying has improved in Victoria, and people generally felt supported while navigating the application process once they found a coordinating practitioner or a navigator. But this step, and other barriers, often still made patient access difficult. Adequate support for doctors, navigators and other facilitators of access is vital for the effective functioning of the overall process.