Documenting the process of developing the Victorian voluntary assisted dying legislation.

Many countries across the world have legislated for their constituents to have control over their death. Commonalities and differences can be found in the regulations surrounding the shape and practices of voluntary assisted dying (VAD) and euthanasia, including an individual's eligibility and access, role of health professions and the reporting. In Australia there have been perennial debates across the country to attempt legislative change in assisting a terminally ill person to control the ending of their life.

A case study approach to investigating end-of-life decision making in an acute health service.

Aim: To identify end-of-life (EOL) decision making processes for patients with non-cancer illnesses in a major metropolitan hospital.

Methods: A retrospective review using a case study framework of 47 randomly selected patient records over a 6-month period explored issues in EOL care planning.

Results: Reviewed charts represented 53% of total deaths in the study period.

Responding to the death of a resident in aged care facilities: perspectives of staff and residents.

A qualitative study using individual semistructured interviews was undertaken to explore the perceptions and experiences of 23 aged care residents with mild dementia concerning the deaths of coresidents. The views of 25 facility staff members were also explored. The study was based in 3 aged residential facilities in Victoria, Australia.

GP and nurses' perceptions of how after hours care for people receiving palliative care at home could be improved: a mixed methods study.

Background: Primary health care providers play a dominant role in the provision of palliative care (PC) in Australia but many gaps in after hours service remain. In some rural areas only 19% of people receiving palliative care achieve their goal of dying at home. This study, which builds on an earlier qualitative phase of the project, investigates the gaps in care from the perspective of general practitioners (GPs) and PC nurses.

A very public death: dying of mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer (M/ARLC) in the Latrobe Valley, Victoria, Australia.

Introduction: It is anticipated that in Australia the number of cases of mesothelioma will continue to rise significantly over the next 15 years with power station workers having a risk second only to asbestos mill workers. Mesothelioma responds poorly to treatment and is almost always fatal, yet there have been few studies related to the palliative care needs of this diagnostic group and none focussing on the Latrobe Valley, Victoria, Australia. The aims of this pilot study were to identify common issues and to explore the needs and experiences of people with mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer (M/ARLC), their carers, and service providers in the Latrobe Valley community, in particular in relation to palliative care.