The terminal care and death with dignity in Washington state

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

In Washington state, the DWD act went into effect in 2009. Care providers in WA are continuing to learn how to interact with patients who have a life expectancy of six months or less and who request a prescription from their physician so they may use this medication to end their lives. Dr. McCormick, University of Washington provided assistance to investigators in carrying out interviews with physicians to clarify how care providers deal with patients who make requests for aid in dying. Approximately 100 patients/year request and receive the medication, however, 80% actually ingest the lethal medicine. Our investigation points out that physicians seek to learn from the patients the reason for making such a request and reassure patients that palliative care and social support are available to patients and their families. A request for DWD, ideally, leads to frank communication so that care providers can respond to the needs of patients in ways that best suit the patient's values.