Uptake in the practice of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) and involvement by physician speciality over time in Nova Scotia, Canada

Abstract

Legislation on medical assistance in dying (MAiD) was enacted in Canada in 2016. There is limited research on the topic available from Atlantic Canada. This study provides early data on the uptake of MAiD in Nova Scotia based on analysis of administrative billing data. It presents the number of MAiD cases by year from 2017 through early 2020. It also provides data on physician involvement in the MAiD process by specialty, broken down by assessors and providers of MAiD. Our data agrees with provincial- and national-level data that family physicians are highly involved in the MAiD process. Our study also documents physician involvement in conducting MAiD assessments by specialty, a metric which is not widely available in the literature. This study emphasizes the need for robust, provincial-level data on the demographics of providers involved in MAiD.