(Press-News.org) How do health care professionals in Canada assess applicants for medical assistance in dying (MAiD)? A research article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.251071 describes the careful approach currently used to determine eligibility, and an analysis article suggests an approach to eligibility assessments for advance requests for MAiD — which are currently available in Quebec and being considered elsewhere in Canada.
In 2021, Canada revised MAiD legislation to include eligibility for people who do not have a reasonably foreseeable natural death. This can include people with a serious, incurable illness, disease, or disability; who are in advanced, irreversible decline; and who have physical or psychological suffering that cannot be addressed to the person’s satisfaction. These people may be eligible for MAiD under Track 2; Track 1 includes those with a reasonably foreseeable natural death.
The study included interviews with 23 health care professionals who assess eligibility for MAiD in 4 Canadian provinces. Of these, 14 were physicians and 9 were nurse practitioners.
“Participants in this study provided nuanced accounts of the care and thoroughness that characterized these assessments and how they made the complex legal and moral decisions when reviewing an application for MAiD under Track 2,” writes Dr. Barbara Pesut, a professor at the University of British Columbia Okanagan’s School of Nursing, Kelowna, BC, with coauthors. “Alongside this individualized approach, assessors described a difficult process within their practice communities of developing a common understanding of the Track 2 MAiD legislation and a desire to ensure a consistent approach to determine eligibility.”
Assessors viewed the process and considerations to determine Track 2 eligibility as sometimes legally and morally complex. Understanding the patient’s life circumstances and support networks as well as their personal preferences were also important considerations when assessing for eligibility.
“Participants reported conducting their assessments carefully and thoroughly by taking a relational autonomy approach to assessment, determining capacity, managing the 90-day assessment period, and communicating a decision of eligibility. All providers involved in the care of those living with serious and irremediable conditions should seek to fully understand applicants’ suffering experience,” the authors conclude.
An analysis article https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250562 suggests an approach that could be used to determine the presence of intolerable suffering for advance requests for MAiD by people with dementia.
“The assessor must confirm suffering is present, but this interpretation should be influenced by the patients’ values, wishes, and goals of care. This is a pragmatic approach that we consider to meet the concerns on both sides of the debate surrounding contemporary suffering,” write Drs. Timothy Holland, a family physician and head of the Bioethics Department at Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS, and Mathieu Moreau, a family physician working in palliative care, Bureau de l’éthique clinique, Université de Montréal, Que.
END
How do health care professionals determine eligibility for MAiD?
2026-01-12
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Microplastics detected in rural woodland
2026-01-12
Air-polluting microplastics have been found in rural environments in greater quantities than in urban locations, researchers say.
Scientists led by the University of Leeds detected up to 500 microscopic particles of plastic per square metre per day in an area of woodland during the three-month study – almost twice as much as in a sample collected in a city centre.
They believe trees and other vegetation capture airborne microplastic particles from the atmosphere and deposit them, highlighting the impact ...
JULAC and Taylor & Francis sign open access agreement to boost the impact of Hong Kong research
2026-01-12
Researchers in Hong Kong will have greater opportunities to share their work with a global audience through a new open access (OA) agreement between the Joint University Librarians Advisory Committee (JULAC) and Taylor & Francis.
The three-year agreement enables researchers at all participating institutions to publish OA articles in over 2,000 Taylor & Francis and Routledge Open Select (hybrid) journals without payment of an OA article publishing charge. Articles will be open on publication and free to access and reuse for readers around the world, ...
Protecting older male athletes’ heart health
2026-01-12
Veteran male athletes who have spent years training at high intensity may be at greater risk of serious heart problems while exercising, new University of Leeds research shows.
Published today and funded by the British Heart Foundation, the study shows that male endurance athletes aged over 50 may be more likely to experience abnormal heart rhythms during training if they already have scarring in their heart.
Nine in 10 sudden cardiac deaths during sport occur in older male athletes.
The researchers’ aim ...
KAIST proposes AI-driven strategy to solve long-standing mystery of gene function
2026-01-11
“We know the genes, but not their functions.” To resolve this long-standing bottleneck in microbial research, a joint research team has proposed a cutting-edge research strategy that leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drastically accelerate the discovery of microbial gene functions.
KAIST announced on January 12th that a research team led by Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, in collaboration with Professor Bernhard Palsson from the Department of Bioengineering at UCSD, has published a comprehensive review paper. The study systematically analyzes and organizes the latest AI-based ...
Eye for trouble: Automated counting for chromosome issues under the microscope
2026-01-10
Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have developed a suite of algorithms to automate the counting of sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) in chromosomes under the microscope. Conventional analysis requires trained personnel and time, with variability between different people. The team’s machine-learning-based algorithm boasts an accuracy of 84% and gives a more objective measurement. This could be a game changer for diagnosing disorders tied to abnormal numbers of SCEs, like Bloom syndrome.
DNA, the blueprint of life for all living organisms, is found packaged inside complex ...
The vast majority of US rivers lack any protections from human activities, new research finds
2026-01-09
The U.S. boasts more than 4 million miles of rivers, peppered with laws and regulations to protect access to drinking water and essential habitat for fish and wildlife. But in the first comprehensive review of river protection, research co-led by the University of Washington shows that the existing regulations account for less than 20% of total river length and vary widely by region.
Freshwater conservation strategies have historically emphasized protections against land use and development on public ...
Ultrasound-responsive in situ antigen "nanocatchers" open a new paradigm for personalized tumor immunotherapy
2026-01-09
Professor Zhaohui Tang and Associate Professor Zhilin Liu from the team of Professor Xuesi Chen at the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, developed ultrasound-responsive in-situ antigen nanocatchers (S-nanocatchers), achieving precise spatiotemporal capture of tumor antigens and controllable acquisition of in-situ vaccines. This system solves the key problems of traditional antigen-capturing nanocarriers, such as their tendency to non-specifically bind to serum proteins during systemic circulation and their low antigen capture efficiency, providing a novel strategy for personalized tumor ...
Environmental “superbugs” in our rivers and soils: new one health review warns of growing antimicrobial resistance crisis
2026-01-09
Environmental antimicrobial resistance is turning rivers, soils, and even the air into hidden highways for “superbugs,” according to a new review that calls for urgent, coordinated action across human, animal, and environmental health. The authors argue that protecting people from drug resistant infections now depends as much on wastewater plants and farms as it does on hospitals.
A growing environmental “superbug” crisis
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria and other microbes evolve the ability to ...
Triple threat in greenhouse farming: how heavy metals, microplastics, and antibiotic resistance genes unite to challenge sustainable food production
2026-01-09
Invisible pollutants in high tech greenhouses may be quietly reshaping the food on our plates and the soil beneath our feet. A new open access review maps how heavy metals, micro and nanoplastics, and antibiotic resistance genes increasingly pile up together in intensive “facility agriculture” and why this triple cocktail demands urgent attention from scientists, farmers, and regulators.
The paper reviews composite pollution in facility agriculture, a fast growing form of high yield farming that relies on greenhouses and other controlled environments to produce vegetables and other crops year round. ...
Earthworms turn manure into a powerful tool against antibiotic resistance
2026-01-09
Earthworms could become unexpected allies in the global fight against antibiotic resistance, by helping farmers turn manure into safer, high-value organic fertilizer through a process called vermicomposting. Researchers report that this low energy, nature-based technology can remove antibiotic resistance genes far more consistently than conventional composting, while also improving soil health and supporting sustainable agriculture.
Antibiotic resistance from farm to table
The World Health Organization has named antimicrobial resistance one ...