NURSING ROUNDS: Challenges in End of Life Care in the Context of Physician Assisted Death: Empirical, Ethical and Policy Reflections

Abstract: In this session Dr. Rodney will provide a brief overview of recent research related to end of life care in Canada, particularly for older adults. She will point to empirical findings to address related ethical and policy implications for improving end of life care in Canada. In closing, she will emphasize the urgency of these implications given Canada’s changing legislative landscape related to physician assisted death.

Bio: Patricia (Paddy) Rodney RN, MSN, PhD is an Associate Professor at the UBC School of Nursing.  She is also a Faculty Associate with the W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics at UBC, a Research Associate with Providence Health Care Ethics Services, and an ethics consultant for the BC Provincial Advisory Panel on Cardiac Health.  She has consulted for the Canadian Nurses Association on the Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses (2008) and their recent Joint Position Statement: The Palliative Approach to Care and the Role of the Nurse (2015). Paddy's research and publications focus on end-of-life care for seriously ill older adults and the moral climate of health care delivery for health care providers.

PPT Slides