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Voluntary assisted dying

CPD

October 29, 2018

CPD credits

Accreditation Number : CAP1810B

Group 1 : 0.75 CPD credits

Group 2 : 1.5 CPD credits

This activity has been accredited for 0.75 hours of Group 1 CPD (or 0.75 CPD credits) suitable for inclusion in an individual pharmacist's CPD plan, which can be converted to 0.75 hours of Group 1 CPD (or 1.50 CPD credits) upon successful completion of relevant assessment activities.

The Victorian Parliament recently passed the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act and its 18-month implementation period is shortly coming to a close. So what exactly does the Act mean for patients who are suffering and what role do pharmacists need to play?

Learning resources

After successful completion of this CPD activity, pharmacists should be able to:

Define voluntary assisted dying (VAD), and discuss its legality in overseas jurisdictions.
Understand end-of-life options, patient eligibility and qualification steps for VAD, according to the Victorian Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017.
Discuss ethical and practical challenges with voluntary assisted dying.
Discuss the role of the pharmacist in the provision of VAD according to the Act.

Competencies (2016) addressed: 1.1, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 4.2.

Accreditation code: CAP1810B

Already read the CPD in the journal? Scroll to the bottom to SUBMIT ANSWERS.

On 29 November 2017, the Victorian Parliament passed the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017.¹ This legislation, which includes an 18-month implementation period, provides individuals living in Victoria and suffering at their end of life, a legal and safe option of accessing a lethal dos

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Rosuvastatin	Ridker Paul M, MacFadyen Jean G, Fonseca Francisco AH, et al. Number needed to treat with rosuvastatin to prevent first cardiovascular events and death among men and women with low low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and elevated high-sensitivity c-reactive protein. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 2009;2(6):616–23.
Atorvastatin	Sever PS, Dahlöf B, Poulter NR, et al. Prevention of coronary and stroke events with atorvastatin in hypertensive patients who have average or lower-than-average cholesterol concentrations, in the Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial--Lipid Lowering Arm (ascot-lla): a multicentre randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2003;361(9364):1149–58.
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Cefalexin	Rosengren H, Heal CF, Buttner PG. Effect of a single prophylactic preoperative oral antibiotic dose on surgical site infection following complex dermatological procedures on the nose and ear: a prospective, randomised, controlled, double-blinded trial. BMJ Open 2018;8(4):e020213.
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	Grade of recommendation*	Level of agreement (0–10)^†
1. Education and training in ergonomic principles, pacing of activity and use of assistive devices should be offered to every patient	A	9.3 (1.1)
2. Exercises to improve function and muscle strength, as well as to reduce pain, should be considered for every patient	A	9.1 (1.6)
3. Orthoses should be considered for symptom relief in patients with thumb-base OA. Long-term use is advocated	A	9.3 (1.0)
4. Topical treatments are preferred over systemic treatments because of safety reasons. Topical NSAIDs are the first pharmacological topical treatment of choice	A	8.6 (1.8)
5. Oral analgesics, particularly NSAIDs, should be considered for a limited duration for relief of symptoms	A	9.4 (0.9)
6. Chondroitin sulfate may be used in patients with hand OA for pain relief and improvement in functioning	A	7.3 (2.7)
7. Intra-articular injections of glucocorticoids should not generally be used in patients with hand OA but may be considered in patients with painful interphalangeal joints	A	7.9 (2.4)
8. Patients with hand OA should not be treated with conventional or biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs	A	8.8 (1.8)
9. Surgery should be considered for patients with structural abnormalities when other treatment modalities have not been sufficiently effective in relieving pain. Trapeziectomy should be considered in patients with thumb-base OA and arthrodesis or arthroplasty in patients with interphalangeal OA	D	9.4 (1.4)
10. Long-term follow-up of patients with hand OA should be adapted to the patient’s individual needs	D	9.5 (1.7)

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Case scenario

Learning objectives

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Learning objectives

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Key points

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Learning objectives

Already read the CPD in the journal? Scroll to the bottom to SUBMIT ANSWERS.

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Key points

Case scenario