End of Life Law for Clinicians Workshop
Workshop Presenters: Professor Ben White, Professor Lindy Willmott, Ms Penny Neller, Dr Rachel Feeney
Date: Monday 9 August
Time: 1230-1430
Overview:
Allied health professionals have a significant role in caring for and supporting individuals at the end of life, and their families. In this context they play important legal roles such as determining whether a person has capacity for medical treatment decision-making, supporting a person to undertake Advance Care Planning, or identifying who is a person’s substitute decision-maker.
End of life law focuses on legal issues that are relevant to end of life decision-making. End of life law can be complex. The law that applies may differ depending on whether or not a person has capacity, and whether the person is an adult or a child. The law also differs across Australia.
Though research has revealed knowledge gaps about end of life law amongst Australian allied health professionals, it has also shown that they believe law has a place in clinical practice and decision-making; and want to learn more about the law.
This workshop is based on work emerging from an Australian federally funded project “End of Life Law for Clinicians” (ELLC). ELLC is a free training program for allied health professionals about the law relating to end of life decision-making.
This interactive workshop will use a case study format to explore some of the legal issues that can arise in practice for allied health professionals, and the role law plays in end of life care. Legal topics may include capacity and consent to treatment, Advance Care Planning and Advance Care Directives, substitute decision-making, futile or non-beneficial treatment, and managing conflict.
Knowledge of end of life law can enhance allied health professionals’ capacity to manage legal issues in end of life decision-making, leading to improved quality of care and practice.