How best to regulate voluntary assisted dying: a qualitative study of perceptions of Australian doctors and regulators

It is widely accepted that voluntary assisted dying (VAD) should be regulated but little is known about the most effective way to regulate doctors in this setting. This article reports on empirical research conducted in two Australian states where VAD is lawful (Victoria and Western Australia). Interviews were conducted with 92 participants: one group comprised doctors providing VAD and the other group was regulators in this field. Participants were asked about how best to regulate doctors providing this service. Strikingly, both regulator and doctor participant groups were consistent with each other in their views on what constituted effective regulation. The nature of VAD was perceived by participants to require special regulation, although some felt this was overdone in these states. Reported features of effective regulation included regulators taking an educative approach, regulation being perceived as acceptable by doctors, and it being responsive and nimble to provide the guidance that doctors need. Participants also considered a range of regulatory tools were required to regulate VAD effectively, and some identified a need for these tools to be employed together in a holistic way. This article concludes with a set of principles for effective regulation of VAD, discerned from the views of participants.