Dr. Konia Trouton:

I might comment on the Oregon model, which allows for self-administered assisted dying. In Canada, we have seen little of that. In fact, last year, there were 10,064 intravenous administrations and only seven self-administered forms. The reason for that is that we in the Canadian Association of MAID Assessors and Providers feel it is important, and advise, that a clinician be present even when people self-administer. At the time people are ready to avail of assisted death, they are often too weak to drink something or have a substance administered through a PEG-J tube, so the participation and help of a clinician is essential to be able to administer that medication effectively. Moreover, there have been a couple of cases where the medication has been brought home and been held in place where somebody else could have ended up using it, so it is important we know and can support our patient to use the medication effectively by intravenous administration. I would advise against having it limited to the self-administration form, which can lead to more complications and can prevent those people who want to have assistance from having it because they do not have the strength or physical capacity to take the medication themselves.