Critical Data Gaps on Doctor-Assisted Deaths in Oregon Amid Rise in Participants

October 3, 2023

(Medical Xpress) – Oregon is often cited as a stable example of assisted dying legislation, so the researchers wanted to see if there had been any changes over the 25 years of reporting. They analyzed the data in every annual report from 1998 to 2022, specifically looking at the numbers of patients prescribed lethal drugs under the legislation, their insurance status, reasons for wanting an assisted death, and the qualifying illness. 

Information on clinical complications was often missing, while key information on the factors behind medical decision-making, the effectiveness of the lethal drugs used, and the extent of palliative care support wasn’t even collected, reveals their review, published in BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care. (Read More)