Nursing Best Practices for Patients Considering Medical Aid in Dying, Part 3 Video – American Clinicians Academy on Medical Aid in Dying

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For patients who have nausea and vomiting in the days before aid in dying…*

It’s ok to continue as long as the patient takes all three of the anti-nausea pills an hour before taking aid in dying medications
Nausea and vomiting must be well controlled in the days preceding aid in dying, or the risk of vomiting the aid-in-dying medications is too high to proceed.
Patients should plan to swallow the medications very quickly so that they fall asleep before they vomit.
Vomiting of aid-in-dying medications is rare, this not of significant concern

The final sedative cocktail tastes bad and can burn. You should...*

Give patients a written information sheet that explains this.
Fully inform patients and family members, verbally and repeatedly, so that they are not surprised and upset about the taste and burning.
Keep an ice-cream popsicle at the bedside to cool their mouth down after swallowing the medications
Administer viscous xylocaine or baking soda to neutralize the taste and burning

As soon as the patient is unconscious, you can often expect to see (and inform the family to keep them from being surprised)...

Once a patient swallows the aid-in-dying medications, death comes on most commonly within...*

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