Death with Dignity for the Dying and the Damned

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Schofield
Keyword(s):  
Death With Dignity

scholarly journals QOLP-26. USE OF MEDICAL ASSISTANCE IN DYING (“DEATH WITH DIGNITY”) IN WASHINGTON STATE PATIENTS WITH BRAIN TUMORS.

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii180-ii180
Author(s):  
Jerome Graber ◽  
Kaite Sofie ◽  
Lynne Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Brain Tumors ◽  
Terminal Illness ◽  
Karnofsky Performance Status ◽  
Performance Status ◽  
High Grade Glioma ◽  
Washington State ◽  
Medical Assistance ◽  
Death With Dignity ◽  
Medical Assistance In Dying ◽  
Diagnosis Of Cancer

Abstract Since 2009, Washington State has had a “Death with Dignity” (DWD) process whereby people with a terminal illness may legally obtain a prescription for medications that will end their life. Patients initiate a voluntary request from two physicians certifying they have a prognosis < 6 months, are aware of other palliative care options, and have capacity without the comorbidity of a psychiatric diagnosis. Since 2015, over 200 people annually have used the DWD process in Washington. Other papers have described the characteristics of people using DWD with a diagnosis of cancer or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) but none have specifically looked at patients with brain tumors (BT) who used DWD. We describe 20 people with BT who accessed DWD since 2015 at our center. Median age at the time of death was 51 (range 38-79) and 75% were men. Glioblastoma was the diagnosis in 10 (50%), anaplastic glioma in 8 (40%), grade II astrocytoma in 1, and a presumed high-grade glioma by imaging in 1. Median Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) was 90 at diagnosis (range 50-100) and 70 at DWD request (range 40-90). Standard radiation (RT) and chemotherapy was used by 17 (85%) prior to DWD request, while 3 patients (15%, ages 70-79, KPS 50-90) requested DWD immediately after diagnosis and did not undergo further treatment. Pain was present in 4 patients (20%), 2 using opioids (10%). Six patients (30%) continued tumor treatments after approval for DWD. Median OS was 22 months (range 2-285) and 24 months excluding patients who declined treatment (range 8-285). Most glioma patients in our cohort requested DWD after undergoing chemoradiation, pain was uncommon and rarely severe, and survival from diagnosis was comparable to standard therapy. As access to medical assistance in dying continues, further research is needed on its utilization for people with brain tumors.

Physicians' Experiences with the Oregon Death with Dignity Act

2000 ◽  
Vol 342 (8) ◽  
pp. 557-563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Ganzini ◽  
Heidi D. Nelson ◽  
Terri A. Schmidt ◽  
Dale F. Kraemer ◽  
Molly A. Delorit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Death With Dignity ◽  
Death With Dignity Act ◽  
Dignity Act

Life after Death with Dignity: The Oregon Experience

Social Work ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Death With Dignity ◽  
Life After Death

Euthanasia Legislation: A Survey and A Model Act

1976 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-99
Author(s):  
Ronald P. Kaplan
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Solution ◽  
State Legislators ◽  
Death With Dignity ◽  
Frequency State

With increasing frequency, state legislators have been proposing legislation which would permit euthanasia—the allowance of “death with dignity”—under certain circumstances. These proposals indicate varying degrees of awareness of the issues and problems involved in drafting euthanasia legislation. This Article focuses on such issues and problems, studies the methods proposed by legislators to deal with them, and offers a Model Euthanasia Act designed to achieve their optimal solution.

Death with Dignity (and Love)

2018 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 72
Author(s):  
Laurie Barkin
Keyword(s):  
Death With Dignity

Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act

JAMA Oncology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah K. Sperling
Keyword(s):  
Death With Dignity ◽  
Death With Dignity Act ◽  
Dignity Act

The Washington State Death With Dignity Act

2012 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Jablonski ◽  
Janine Clymin ◽  
Dana Jacobson ◽  
Karen Feldt
Keyword(s):  
Washington State ◽  
Death With Dignity ◽  
Death With Dignity Act ◽  
State Death ◽  
Dignity Act
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