The provincial cabinet approved this week the Medical Assistance in Dying Standards of Practice for Nurse Practitioners for Alberta’s college of nurses.
A news release posted on the website for the College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CARNA) said the new Order in Council will give Albertans more access to medically-assisted death.
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“Albertans who have a relationship with a nurse practitioner as their primary care provider now have more access to medical assistance in dying,” CARNA president Jerry Macdonald said. “Nurse practitioners provide primary health care both as independent practitioners and as members of health care teams.
“The new standards of practice ensure that nurse practitioners can provide medical assistance in dying if required by their patients.”
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The decision means nurse practitioners can provide medical assistance in dying within a regulatory framework that has safeguards for consistency and patient safety, CARNA said.
According to the order, “medical assistance in dying” means:
- The administering by a nurse practitioner of a substance to a patient, at the patient’s request, that causes the patient’s death; or
- The prescribing or providing by a nurse practitioner of a substance to a patient, at the patient’s request, so that the patient may self-administer the substance and in doing so cause his or her own death.
The framework was developed with support from Alberta Health, Alberta Health Services, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta, and the Alberta College of Pharmacists.
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“Thank you to all the health professionals who collaborated with us and CARNA to develop these standards,” Associate Minister of Health Brandy Payne said. “Together we have made medical assistance in dying more accessible for those who are suffering intolerably, while protecting patients, vulnerable Albertans, and our dedicated health care providers at the front line – through thoughtful, compassionate policies and standards.”
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There are an estimated 450 nurse practitioners in Alberta. They are registered nurses who have undertaken graduate education.
CARNA is the regulatory college and professional association for Alberta’s more than 37,000 registered nurses.
In June, Alberta approved final regulations that clear the way for physician-assisted death.