A survey of the perspectives of occupational therapists (OTs) and Student OTs in Canada on the legalization of physician assisted suicide and euthanasia

An invitation to participate in "A survey of the perspectives of occupational therapists (OTs) and Student OTs in Canada on the legalization of physician assisted suicide and euthanasia" Dear potential participant, This is an invitation to participate in a survey entitled Understanding the Perspectives of Occupational Therapists (OTs) and Student OTs Practicing in Canada on the Legalization of Physician Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia (Short title: OT-PASE-Canada). Who we are: We are a team of four researchers. Three of us are at the University of Toronto – two Student OTs and an OT associate professor who works as a healthcare ethicist. Our fourth team member is an OT Intern with the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT). Why we are doing this: The purpose of OT-PASE-Canada is to understand some of the perspectives of individuals in the field of occupational therapy in Canada on the legalization of physician assisted suicide (PAS) and voluntary euthanasia. Assisted suicide has been decriminalized by the Supreme Court of Canada. This means that assisting suicide/voluntary euthanasia will soon become part of end-of-life care in Canada. The bulk of published opinion and literature considers the thoughts of physicians on the topic; there is very little examining the thoughts of occupational therapists. We are hoping to make a contribution to the debates on the topic both within the profession and generally in the eyes of the public. The results of this study are expected to be useful to CAOT in its development of resources related to PAS. Anyone wishing to be involved in CAOT's consultations can contact Julie Lapointe (jlapointe@caot.ca). Julie's email will also be provided at the beginning and end of the survey online. What we’re asking: OT-PASE-Canada asks for your anonymous opinions and perspectives on some client stories based on real lives recently profiled in the media. You will be asked to answer questions according to your own thoughts on the topic and according to how you think OT practice ought to respond to the possibility of healthcare teams being asked by capable clients to assist them to end their lives. How we’re asking: We are using a Canadian hosted survey tool – Fluid Surveys. We ask for no identifying information from you – only some general demographics. We ask that you take care not to include any identifying details in the open comments sections. If any potentially identifying details are included, we will omit them from any reports/ publications/ presentations about OT-PASE-Canada. If you wish to withdraw from the survey once you have started it, please simply click 'discard' at any time - this will remove any responses you have entered. Once you click 'submit', your responses cannot be removed as they cannot be individually identified. If you have any questions, comments or concerns that you wish to bring to the Principal Investigator, you can email Kevin Reel at kevin.reel@utoronto.ca at any time. Many thanks for considering participating in this survey. Alana Bernick, MSc (OT) candidate, University of Toronto Ariella Winter, MSc (OT) candidate, University of Toronto Chelsea Gordon, OT Reg. (Ont.), Intern, CAOT Kevin Reel, OT Reg. (Ont.), Assistant Professor, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and Member, Joint Centre for Bioethics, University of Toronto The OT-PASE-Canada survey will be open until the 30th of April 2015. To access the survey, beginning with its consent confirmation page, go to this URL: http://fluidsurveys.com/s/OT-PASE-Canada/