The Journal of Aid-in-Dying Medicine launches its third issue — and a new, continuously updated format
The Journal of Aid-in-Dying Medicine, the only U.S. medical journal devoted exclusively to aid-in-dying medicine, has launched its third issue — with a new format designed to make emerging research, clinical experience and discussion available more quickly and to a wider audience.
Published by the Academy of Aid-in-Dying Medicine, the independent, peer-reviewed Journal addresses the clinical realities of medical aid in dying while bringing together perspectives from physicians, nurses, hospice professionals, pharmacists, social workers, ethicists, spiritual care providers, end-of-life doulas and others working throughout end-of-life care.
About this issue
With Issue 3, the Journal is moving away from waiting until a complete collection of articles is ready for publication. Instead, new articles will be published online as they are completed, making the website a continuously growing resource.
Learn more at jaidm.org
What you’ll find in Issue 3
The current issue already includes subjects with important implications for patients, families and professionals navigating medical aid in dying.
- Integrating medical aid in dying with other end-of-life decisions
The lead article examines a complex case involving medical aid in dying and withdrawal of a left ventricular assist device — illustrating the increasingly nuanced clinical situations that can arise when patients exercise multiple end-of-life choices. - New research on aid-in-dying medication protocols
An outcomes comparison examines higher-dose and usual-dose prescriptions, accompanied by an Academy editorial with recommendations concerning high-dose DDMAPh. - Helping healthcare systems develop better programs
A video article explores best practices for healthcare-system policies and program development — an important subject as hospitals, hospices and other institutions determine how medical aid in dying fits within their standards of care. - Understanding autonomy
A review article looks closely at autonomy in the aid-in-dying context, exploring one of the fundamental ethical principles underlying end-of-life decision-making. - Evaluating decision-making capacity
A video presentation by psychiatrist and palliative medicine specialist Thomas Strouse, MD, addresses capacity evaluations in the aid-in-dying context. Although presented with particular attention to New York mental health providers, the subject has relevance wherever clinicians and patients must navigate questions about capacity and informed decision-making. - Learning from challenging cases
A case report examines chronic care refusal and severe constipation before aid in dying — the kind of practical clinical complexity that can be difficult to capture through laws and general guidance alone.
Scholarship designed to be understood
One particularly welcome feature of the Journal is its deliberate effort to make serious medical scholarship more accessible.
The editors describe their intended readership broadly: prescribing and consulting clinicians, neurologists, psychiatrists, hospice staff, pharmacists, nurses, social workers, spiritual care providers, ethicists and end-of-life doulas. The publication deliberately minimizes acronyms and insider terminology and is expanding beyond traditional papers to include video articles, audio and video summaries, news, legal analysis, reviews, poetry, photography and artwork.
That philosophy is summed up in the editors’ description of the new design: “Beauty invites understanding.”
The connection to New Mexico is also noteworthy. Jacqueline O’Neill, MD, of the University of New Mexico — Director of UNM’s Aid-in-Dying Program — serves on the Journal’s Editorial Board.
A resource we’ll continue to follow
As medical aid in dying becomes more established, the body of clinical knowledge surrounding it is growing as well. That matters not only to prescribing clinicians, but to the many professionals, volunteers, caregivers, patients and families who participate in end-of-life care.
End of Life Options New Mexico is pleased to add the Journal of Aid-in-Dying Medicine to our resource library (link), and we encourage members of our community to explore Issue 3 (link) and return as new material is published.
Explore Issue 3 of the Journal of Aid-in-Dying Medicine.