Leadership and Policy Guidance

90% of patients who consider or complete medical aid in dying in the US are receiving hospice care at the time of their death. Regardless of whether a hospice declines participation, fully supports the option, or takes a position somewhere in between, hospices in states where aid in dying is legal inevitably serve patients who are contemplating or completing the process. The Academy stands ready as a trusted partner, offering guidance and support to hospices in this important work.
What is well coordinated aid-in-dying hospice care? It’s not about the prescription; it’s about the care.

Let us help you with staff training and policy development. Just tell us what you need!
We provide tailored training and policy guidance. Let us know your needs, and we’ll create a customized support package designed specifically for your agency.
9 Best Practices for Hospices caring for patients considering aid in dying.
These nine points are designed to guide hospices in delivering excellent care to patients considering or completing aid in dying, ensuring a safe and peaceful process for them and their loved ones, no matter how the patient dies. The focus is on patient care rather than the aid-in-dying prescription; none of these elements require hospices to opt in or allow their providers to act as attending prescribers.
Develop a Subject Matter Expert on your team
Our program provides personalized, one-on-one advanced training for one select frontline hospice nurse, social worker, or spiritual care provider—equipping them to confidently be the go-to resource for your team in supporting patients exploring or completing aid-in-dying. Ideal for hospices in any state that allows legal aid-in-dying, it enables your non-prescribing staff to deliver expert, supportive care.
from The Journal of Aid-in-dying Medicine: ASFRA: A Pathway to Compliance for Hospices
By Kevin J. Malone, JD, and William Walters, JD
from The Journal of Aid-in-Dying Medicine: Hospice Policies On Medical Aid in Dying: Current Practices and Recent Progress
by Thalia DeWolf, RN, and Richard Width, RN
from American Journal of Nursing: Hopsice Nurse Ethics and Institutional Policies Towards Medical Aid in Dying
“Institutional policy requiring nurses to leave the room while a patient ingests aid-in-dying medication risks violating professional nursing standards, reinforces stigma regarding medical aid in dying, and potentially abandons patients and loved ones at a critical time in their passage toward a desired and legal death.”

Teaching and supporting best practices for the care of patients considering or completing medical aid in dying.

Donate to the Academy