Paramedics have a significant role in caring for and supporting individuals at the end of life, and their families. In this context they play important legal roles such as determining whether a person has capacity for medical treatment decision-making, deciding whether to provide or withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment, providing pain relief, and identifying who is a person's substitute decision-maker.

This interactive workshop for paramedics across Australia will use a case study format to explore some of the legal issues that can arise in practice for paramedics, and the role law plays in end of life care. Legal topics may include capacity and consent to medical treatment, substitute decision-making, providing pain relief, futile or non-beneficial treatment, emergency treatment, and managing conflict.

This workshop is part of End of Life Law for Clinicians, a free training program for paramedics, doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals about the law relating to end of life decision-making.

Biographies

Shih-Ning Then Associate Professor Shih-Ning Then is an Associate Professor in the School of Law and a member of the Australian Centre for Health Law Research, Queensland University of Technology. She is a socio-legal scholar who teaches and researches in the area of health law and ethics. Her research interests include issues in healthcare faced by groups traditionally considered as vulnerable in society, including adults with decision-making difficulties, and children. She is the co-author of Ethics, law and health care (2nd Edition): A guide for nurses and midwives (2019, Red Globe Press, Australia) and is experienced in teaching across disciplines and to health care professionals.

Jamie Rhodes-Bates Jamie Rhodes-Bates is the Chair of the Queensland Member Committee for the College and a Critical Care Paramedic working for the Queensland Ambulance Service. Jamie has over a decade of clinical practice experience working in a range of metropolitan, rural and remote settings. In addition to his clinical practice, Jamie has held academic positions at USC and QUT as well as a range of positions within the College. When not engaged in ambulance related activities, Jamie can be found throwing pots in his home studio, tending to his flock of chickens and ducks, or hanging out with his three dogs.

Dr Bronwyn Betts ASM Dr Bronwyn Betts ASM is a Professional Standards Officer with the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS). A lawyer and former registered nurse, she was a Senior Legal Advisor with the QAS for 15 years before embarking on her doctoral research, which examined patient-initiated refusal of paramedic treatment and ambulance transport, and how paramedics respond in those situations. Bronwyn is a contributing author of Paramedic Law and Regulation in Australia (2019, Thomson Reuters, Australia) and Applied Paramedic Law, Ethics and Professionalism (2nd Edition): Australia and New Zealand (Elsevier, Australia). She is experienced teaching health law to paramedics at an undergraduate level and in the clinical practice setting.

Tony Hucker ASM Tony Hucker is a Critical Care Paramedic with four decades of experience in a number of Australian ambulance jurisdictions. Many years of clinical experience in both ground and rotary wing operations underpin a passion for clinical education. Tony has extensive experience developing educational programs in the out of hospital emergency care domain. Tony continues to teach regularly in both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Tony has a special interest in out of hospital end of life care and is a member of the QLD State-wide palliative Care Clinical Network. His current full-time role is with the Queensland Ambulance Service as the Director of Patient Safety and Quality.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash.