Standards of practice updates: Medical Assistance in Dying, Continuing Competence and Restricted Activities

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What’s changed?

The revised Medical Assistance in Dying standard took effect on April 1, 2023. Consultation with the profession and our partners took place in late 2022 and changes to this standard include:

• Added details to ensure the patient’s capacity and consent for MAID.
• The safeguards outlined in the Criminal Code of Canada when determining a patient’s eligibility.
• The use of an AHS reporting form to fulfill federal reporting requirements.

Originally, the revised standard also captured changes prompted by Bill C-7, federal legislation which removed the exclusion of mental illness from MAID eligibility. However, the legislative change has been postponed to 2024, so mental illness as a patient’s sole underlying condition remains ineligible for MAID under the Criminal Code. Please ensure you review the standard, as well as our advice documents, to ensure full understanding of our requirements for MAID:

• Standard of Practice
• Advice to the Profession
• Advice to Albertans

What’s stayed the same (mostly)?

On March 31, the new Continuing Competence and Restricted Activities (formerly Supervision of Restricted Activities) standards came into effect, as required by the implementation of Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2020 (No.2). This does not change your day-to-day practice—it only changes the publication in which the requirements for continuing competence and restricted activities can be found (they were previously captured in provincial legislation instead of our standards of practice).

Please take a few moments to review both standards of practice, as well as their supporting documents:

Continuing Competence

• Standard of Practice
• Program Manual

Restricted Activities

• Standard of Practice
• Advice to the Profession

If you have any questions about these standards, or any others, please email support@cpsa.ab.ca.