191769 - End of Life Law for Clinicians

This activity comprises ten free interactive online modules (15 - 30 minutes duration) on key aspects of end of life law encountered by General Practitioners in practice. The modules aim to improve practitioners' knowledge of end of life law; assist them to support patients (and patient's families) with end of life decision-making; and enhance their confidence to manage legal issues that arise in practice.

Topics covered include capacity and consent to medical treatment, withholding and withdrawing treatment, advance care directives, substitute decision making, providing palliative medication, futile or non-beneficial treatment, emergency treatment, end-of-life decision making for children, and managing disputes.

The modules contain information about key end of life laws in each Australian jurisdiction, as well as legal case studies, interactive exercises, self-assessment quizzes, legal cases and further readings to promote reflective learning.

Relevance to General Practice

General Practitioners have a critical clinical role in end of life care, including undertaking Advance Care Planning (ACP) and coordinating the care of palliative patients and those with chronic and advanced diseases (e.g. identifying those as risk of deteriorating and dying, and managing terminal care). GPs also play a significant legal role when providing this care, for example, when assessing a patient’s capacity to make treatment decisions; determining who their substitute decision-maker is; or deciding whether to follow a patient’s Advance Care Directive. The ten ELLC modules address the law relating to each of these topics, as well as other issues commonly encountered in and relevant to general practice e.g. futile or non-beneficial treatment, withholding or withdrawing treatment, providing palliative medication.

Learning outcomes

Explain when the legal framework in your State or Territory permits withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment from a person with or without capacity.

Recognise when a person will have impaired capacity for end of life decision-making, and when consent to treatment must be sought from a substitute decision-maker.

Determine whether a person's Advance Care Directive is legally valid and must be followed.

Identify who may act as a substitute decision-maker for a person who has lost capacity, and the types of decisions they can make.

Explain when provision of medication for pain and symptom relief will be lawful, and the doctrine of double effect.

Domains of General Practice

D1. Communication skills and the patient-doctor relationship

D2. Applied professional knowledge and skills

D3. Population health and the context of general practice

D4. Professional and ethical role

D5. Organisational and legal dimensions

Curriculum Contextual Units

Adult health
Care of older people
Children and young people health
Individuals with disabilities
Residential care
Oncology and palliative care
Pain management

191769 - End of Life Law for Clinicians

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