The roles, needs and issues for non-medical health professionals in the practice of Voluntary Assisted Dying

Under recently approved legislation, the state of Victoria will introduce the practice of Voluntary Assisted Dying in 2019. The legislation carefully prescribes the roles of doctors and pharmacists, however the roles of other health professionals are not described. This study is a systematic review of qualitative literature describing the roles, needs and issues of health professionals in jurisdictions where voluntary assisted dying or euthanasia is practiced. The results of this research will inform health services and education programs about how policy and practice guidelines should advise non-medical health professionals about the limits to their roles in voluntary assisted dying.