Oregon Death with Dignity Act access: 25 year analysis

Oregon Death with Dignity Act access: 25 year analysis
BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care; by Claud Regnard, Ana Worthington, Ilora Finlay; 4/24
[UK] The number of assisted deaths in Oregon increased from 16 in 1998 to 278 in 2022. Over this time, patients’ health funding status changed from predominantly private (65%) to predominantly government support (79.5%), and there was an increase in patients feeling a burden and describing financial concerns as reasons for choosing an assisted death. There has been a reduction in the length of the physician–patient relationship from 18 weeks in 2010 to 5 weeks in 2022, and the proportion referred for psychiatric assessment remains low (1%). Data are frequently missing, particularly around complications.