Reply to M. McKenzie et al

To the Editor: We thank McKenzie et al1 for the correction to our description of medical assistance in dying (MAID) in Canada and for their updated information about the current process and struggles in Canada. To be clear, the MAID assessment team described by Li et al2 is composed “entirely of physicians and nurse practitioners who have volunteered to participate.” The figure (Figure 1 in the paper by Li et al2) used to describe this team includes a palliative care physician on this team, but it does not explicitly mandate a formal palliative care consult. We found this to be an interesting and potentially useful construct for others to consider, given the issues that we outlined.3 As has been pointed out by the American Academy of Physicians4 and others, it is challenging to get death right from societal and medical standpoints. Translation of public opinion and written laws into the practice of medicine is not always a smooth process. Regardless of personal views for or against MAID in Canada or physician-assisted death in the United States, we continue to advocate for high-quality care, including the routine provision of palliative care, at the end of life for all people. We appreciate the support of our colleagues in Canada and elsewhere as we all work toward this goal.Copyright ？ 2017 by American Society of Clinical Oncology AUTHORS’ DISCLOSURES OF POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST Reply to M. McKenzie et al The following represents disclosure information provided by authors of this manuscript. All relationships are considered compensated. Relationships are self-held unless noted. I = Immediate Family Member, Inst = My Institution. Relationships may not relate to the subject matter of this manuscript. For more information about ASCO's conflict of interest policy, please refer to www.asco.org/rwc or ascopubs.org/jop/site/ifc/journal-policies.html. Harry Peled No relationship to disclose Kathleen Bickel No relationship to disclose Christina Puchalski No relationship to disclose REFERENCES Section: ChooseTop of pageREFERENCES << 1. McKenzie M, Hawley P, Barwich D, et al: In response to “Medical assistance in dying in Canada”. J Oncol Pract 14:56-57, 2017 Google Scholar 2. Li M, Watt S, Escaf M, et al: Medical assistance in dying: Implementing a hospital-based program in Canada. N Engl J Med 376:2082-2088, 2017 Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar 3. Peled H, Bickel KE, Puchalski C: Enhancing informed consent for physician aid in dying: Potential role of handout on possible benefits of palliative care. J Oncol Pract 13:e838-e843, 2017 Link, Google Scholar