How does death with dignity work

A patient's request for or provision by an attending physician of medication in good faith compliance with this Act does not constitute neglect for any purpose of law or provide the sole basis for the appointment of a guardian or conservator. The Department of Health cannot provide the names of health care providers who participate in Death with Dignity. We suggest you talk with your health care provider or contact an end-of-life resource about pursuing Death with Dignity.

Visit our COVID page for the latest updates, vaccine information , testing locations and data dashboard. Death with Dignity Act. Death Certificate Instructions. Death with Dignity Data. Frequently Asked Questions. What is the Death with Dignity Act? The Death with Dignity Act allows terminally ill adults seeking to end their life to request lethal doses of medication from medical and osteopathic physicians. These terminally ill patients must be Washington residents who have less than six months to live.

Who can request medication under this act? Only a qualified patient may make a written request for medication that they will self-administer to end their life. A qualified patient means a competent adult who is a Washington resident suffering from a terminal illness that will lead to death within six months.

How do you establish residency in Washington? How can a qualified patient make a written request for medication under this act? What are the requirements for a witness? Who can write a prescription for medication under this act? Can any other practitioner write a prescription for medication under this act? Cost varies based on medication type and availability, as well as the protocol used additional medications may be prescribed by your physician to be consumed prior to the lethal medications at an extra cost.

Your physician and pharmacist will have more specific information regarding your prescription. Some people about 30 percent never take the medication. Simply knowing they have this option, if they need it, gives them comfort.

As controlled substances, medications prescribed under death with dignity laws are regulated by federal statutes. These medications are carefully tracked from the date they are prescribed to the date the person for whom they are prescribed dies. Similarly, pharmacists must report on dispensing these medications.

The medications must be taken by the person they are prescribed to. Criminal penalties may ensue if another person takes them.

About one in three people who obtain medications under aid-in-dying laws choose not to take them. Anyone who chooses not to ingest a prescribed dose or anyone in possession of any portion of the unused dose must dispose of the dose in a legal manner , as determined by the federal Drug Enforcement Agency or their state laws, if any. In those few cases where the patient is not enrolled in hospice at their death, any unused medications need to be disposed of by those who are present at the time the patient dies.

The objection that simply having the lethal dose of medicine results in its misuse fails to account for any other medications patients around the country have, e. The laws in the U. Such measures can take anywhere from several days to several weeks to result in death.

Stopping treatment or medication may lead to unanticipated effects or pain. Death with dignity, or medical aid-in-dying, statutes allow certain adults with terminal illness to request and obtain a prescription for medication to end their lives in a peaceful manner.

The acts outline the process of obtaining such medication, including safeguards to protect both patients and physicians. In states where physician-assisted dying is legal, there is no state program for participation in the existing aid-in-dying laws and people do not apply to state health departments.

It is up to eligible patients and licensed physicians to implement the act on an individual, case-by-case basis. The law requires that you ask to participate voluntarily on your own behalf and meet all the eligibility criteria at the time of your request. Advance directives are documents that describe what you as a dying person want done or not done medically if you can no longer make decisions for yourself.

Aid-in-dying laws cannot be used under advance directives for this reason. Legal state residency is a requirement for accessing death with dignity laws. You must provide adequate documentation to your attending physician to verify that you are a current resident of the jurisdiction with an aid-in-dying statute.

It is up to the attending physician to determine whether you have adequately established residency. There is nothing in death with dignity statutes that prevents you from doing this. You must be able to prove to the attending physician that you are currently a resident.

It is up to the attending physician to determine whether you qualify and whether they will provide your care. Moving to a new state is a big challenge under any circumstances.

You will likely need the support of family or friends to make your move, then reestablish your healthcare in your new location. Moving to a state with a law does not guarantee you will qualify for medical aid in dying.

Only healthcare providers can make that determination. You must be a resident of one of these states and plan to die in that state. Death with dignity statutes contain a number of safeguards, protecting patients from abuse and coercion:. The physician must also be willing to participate in the DWDA. Physicians are not required to provide prescriptions to patients, and participation is voluntary. Additionally, some health care systems for example, a Catholic hospital or the Veterans Administration have prohibitions against participating in the DWDA.

A: The patient must find another M. The Oregon Health Authority does not recommend doctors, nor can we provide the names of participating physicians or patients due to the need to protect confidentiality.

Then, the following steps must be fulfilled:. A patient can rescind a request at any time and in any manner. Physicians must report all prescriptions for lethal medications to the Oregon Health Authority, Center for Health Statistics. Pharmacists must also be informed of the prescribed medication's ultimate use. A: The law does not include any oversight or regulation that is distinct from what is done for other medical care. The DWDA assigned the Oregon Health Authority OHA the responsibility of keeping track of data on participation and issuing an annual report, but did not assign any specific regulatory responsibilities.

OHA does not investigate whether patients met the DWDA criteria, nor how their diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment options were determined. OHA does not interpret the statute, other than the portion related to the reporting requirements. However, if any instances of non-compliance are found in the information received by OHA, it is reported to the Oregon Medical Board for further investigation.

If a formal investigation is warranted by the Oregon Medical Board, physicians might be subject to disciplinary action. A: The law does not require the presence of a physician when a patient takes lethal medication.

A POLST form records your wishes for medical treatment in the event emergency medical services are required. It allows you to state that you do not wish to be resuscitated if you are found unresponsive, or if the lethal medication does not work as expected.

A: Yes, a patient can rescind a request at any time and in any manner. A: We do not collect cost data. However, direct costs for participation in the DWDA might include office visits relating to the request, a psychological consult if required , and the cost of the prescription.

Individual insurers determine whether the procedure is covered under their policies just as they do with any other medical procedure.

Oregon statute specifies that participation under the DWDA is not suicide, and should not affect insurance benefits by that definition. A: No. The law requires that the patient ask to participate voluntarily on his or her own behalf. In euthanasia, a doctor typically administers a lethal dosage of medication to the patient.

Visit our COVID page for the latest updates, vaccine information , testing locations and data dashboard. Death with Dignity Act. Death Certificate Instructions.