MAID

About the standard

This consultation closed on Jan. 15, 2024.

Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) is the administration or prescribing by a physician (MD) or nurse practitioner (NP) of a substance to a person, at their request, that causes death.  In 2021, Bill C-7 came into effect, which expanded the eligibility of MAID to include individuals whose death is not reasonably foreseeable. After being delayed by one year, contingent on the approval of federal legislation, individuals whose sole underlying medical condition is mental illness will become eligible for MAID under Bill C-39 on March 17, 2024. To ensure accurate and timely information with this upcoming change, CPSA is updating our Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) standard of practice.

What’s changed?

• Includes references and updated glossary based on the “Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) in Alberta Guidelines” developed by CPSA and CRNA to ensure alignment across disciplines;
• Added requirement to follow “Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) in Alberta Guidelines”
• Removal of “mental illness as sole underlying medical condition” from list of conditions that are not eligible for MAID;
• Addition of “Capacity” to Glossary for better alignment with Informed Consent standard.

Collaboration between CPSA and CRNA

In preparation for March, CPSA partnered with the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CRNA) to develop the joint “Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) Alberta Guidelines” to support practice consistency between physicians and registered nurses in Alberta.

As CPSA and CRNA are working collaboratively on the updated MAID Guidelines, you may have also received a request for feedback from CRNA regarding this guideline.

Since the guideline is referenced in CPSA’s MAID standard of practice, after reviewing the guideline you were able to share your thoughts on it AND the amended MAID standard of practice. All feedback that was provided to CPSA, CRNA, or both organizations will be shared to ensure all input is considered.