A Vancouver Island University instructor has received an award which will boost her work in promoting awareness of access to end-of-life care.
Caroline Variath, VIU nursing professor, received this year’s Michael Smith Health Research B.C. convening and collaborating award to support her work related to medical assistance in dying, according to a press release.
Medical assistance in dying has been legal in Canada for seven years, with amendments in 2021 that removed requirements for a person’s natural death to be reasonably foreseeable.
Variath’s work includes work alongside Island Health’s palliative and end-of-life care team and establishment of an advisory committee, the press release noted. She has a team comprised of two VIU students, who are handling detailed analysis of relevant literature, and that work will aid the team as they organize a workshop next year.
The workshop will assemble committee members and stakeholders with others who can offer input about “experiences, available support systems, resources, and the barriers and gaps associated with MAID processes, especially for persons whose death is not reasonably foreseeable,” the press release stated.
Variath’s focus is to use the information gathered to push for substantial enhancement in MAID co-ordination and delivery at Island Health. She also hopes to establish a base for “patient-oriented research aimed at addressing the identified gaps in the MAID processes under the new legislation.”
The subject of medical assistance in dying is controversial, something the instructor is aware of.
“In the current state of our health-care system, disability activists and advocates for those facing social vulnerabilities worry that individuals may turn to MAID due to a lack of access to essential resources,” she said in the press release.
Further, her clinical experiences have “illuminated the existing disparities in access to essential supportive therapies and end-of-life care for patients.”
According to the Michael Smith Health Research B.C. website, the convening and collaborating program promotes “knowledge exchange and meaningful collaboration by supporting researchers, trainees and research users in co-developing research that can have direct impacts on people, including patients, health practitioners and policy makers.” An amount of $15,000 is part of the award.
In the press release, university officials spoke of the value of Variath’s work.
“Bringing people together to discuss this topic, using a research-informed approach, will illuminate gaps in the MAID processes while identifying improvements in co-ordination and delivery in our region that positively impact end-of-life care supports,” said Nicole Vaugeois, VIU associate vice-president of research and graduate studies.
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