title: The legal role of medical professionals in decisions to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment: part 2 (Queensland).
abstract: This is the second article in a series of three that examines the legal role of medical professionals in decisions to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment from adults who lack capacity. This article considers the position in Queensland, including the parens patriae jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. A review of the law in this State reveals that medical professionals play significant legal roles in these decisions. However, the law is problematic in a number of respects and this is likely to impede medical professionals' legal knowledge in this area. The article examines the level of training medical professionals receive on issues such as advance health directives and substitute decision-making, and the available empirical evidence as to the state of medical professionals' knowledge of the law at the end of life. It concludes that there are gaps in legal knowledge and that law reform is needed in Queensland.
authors.affiliation: Health Law Research Program, Faculty of Law, Queensland University of Technology. l.willmott@qut.edu.au
authors.forename: Lindy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Willmott
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Malcolm
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: Colleen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cartwright
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D016743:Mental Competency / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D010819:Physician's Role; D010820:Physicians / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D028761:Withholding Treatment / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*