“I don’t think we can keep patients hostage to the failings of our healthcare system.”
— Dr. Stefanie Green
Medical assistance in dying may not seem like an obvious subject for dermatologists—but nearly one in five Canadian dermatologists surveyed has been approached by a patient about MAID.
Dr. Kirk Barber speaks with Dr. Stefanie Green, founding president of the Canadian Association of MAID Assessors and Providers, and dermatologist Dr. Mark Kirchhof about Canada’s MAID system and the role dermatologists may play within it.
They discuss eligibility and informed consent, the distinction between patients whose deaths are and are not reasonably foreseeable, and the difficult questions that arise when severe skin disease causes intolerable suffering. They also explain how dermatologists can contribute as treating physicians, expert consultants or MAID assessors—and what happens when available treatments have been exhausted or remain inaccessible.
The conversation is based on the JCMS article “Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada: A Review for Canadian Dermatologists.”
Healthcare professionals can learn more about MAID assessment, clinical guidance and training through the Canadian Association of MAID Assessors and Providers (CAMAP).
Dr. Stefanie Green is a clinical professor at the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria. She is the founding president of the Canadian Association of MAID Assessors and Providers and author of the bestselling memoir This Is Assisted Dying.
Dr. Mark Kirchhof is Division Head of Dermatology at the University of Ottawa and The Ottawa Hospital and the outgoing president of the Canadian Dermatology Association.
Dr. Barber and his guests do not receive any financial reimbursement for the production of this podcast.
For more great CDA podcasts check out Dermalogues, our Residents podcast hosted by Dr Kerri Purdy.
To learn more about the work of the Canadian Dermatology Association, please visit our website at dermatology.ca
This podcast is produced by David McGuffin and Graham McGuffin of ExploreProductions.ca
