Data on the Death with Dignity Act for Oregon and Washington
| Oregon 1998–2011 (n = 596) n (%)* | Washington 2009–2011 (n = 213) n (%)* | |
|---|---|---|
| Sex | ||
| Male | 308 (51.7) | 111 (52.1) |
| Female | 288 (48.3) | 102 (47.9) |
| Age, years | ||
| 18–34 | 6 (1.0) | 0 (0) |
| 35–44 | 14 (2.3) | 3 (1.4) |
| 45–54 | 44 (7.4) | 19 (8.9) |
| 55–64 | 123 (20.6) | 45 (21.1) |
| 65–74 | 170 (28.5) | 67 (31.5) |
| 75–84 | 168 (28.2) | 47 (22.1) |
| 85+ | 71 (11.9) | 32 (15.0) |
| Race | (n = 189)† | |
| White | 579 (97.6) | 180 (95.2) |
| Hispanic or non-white | 14 (2.4) | 9 (4.8) |
| Unknown | 3 | 0 |
| Marital status | (n = (189)† | |
| Married | 271 (45.7) | 90 (47.6) |
| Widowed | 134 (22.6) | 41 (21.7) |
| Divorced | 139 (23.4) | 42 (22.2) |
| Never married | 49 (8.3) | 16 (8.5) |
| Unknown | 3 | 0 |
| Underlying Illness | ||
| Cancer | 480 (80.9) | 166 (77.9) |
| Neurodegenerative disease (including ALS) | 44 (7.4) | 22 (10.3) |
| Respiratory disease (including COPD) | 25 (4.2) | 9 (4.2) |
| Heart Disease | 10 (1.7) | 10 (4.7) |
| HIV/AIDS | 8 (1.3) | Not noted |
| Other illnesses | 26 (4.4) | 6 (2.8) |
| Unknown | 3 | 0 |
| End-of-life concerns‡ | n = (592)§ | (n = 202)‖ |
| Losing autonomy | 538 (90.9) | 183 (90.6) |
| Less able to engage in activities that make life enjoyable | 523 (88.3) | 179 (88.6) |
| Loss of dignity | 386 (82.7) | 151 (74.8) |
| Losing control of bodily functions | 318 (53.7) | 105 (52.0) |
| Burden on family, friends/caregivers | 214 (36.1) | 78 (38.6) |
| Inadequate pain control or concern about it | 134 (22.6) | 70 (34.7) |
| Financial implications of treatment | 15 (2.5) | 8 (4.0) |
| Health care provider present when medication ingested | (n = 526)¶ | (n = 157)# |
| Prescribing physician or other provider | 331 (82.1) | 87 (62.6) |
| No provider | 72 (17.9) | 52 (37.4) |
| Unknown | 123** | 18 |
| At time of death | ||
| Prescribing physician or other provider | 343 (66.7) | Not noted |
| No provider | 171 (33.3) | Not noted |
| Unknown | 12†† | Not noted |
The totals for some categories are less than the number of people who died in Washington, because not all data had been received or reported at the time the report was written. Data are expressed as n (%), unless otherwise noted. COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder; ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
↵* Unknowns are excluded when calculating percentages.
↵† Data available for 87 of the 94 participants who died in 2011, 61 of the 72 who died in 2010, and 41 of the 47 who died in 2009.
↵‡ Participants may have noted more than one concern; therefore, total percentage may be more than 100% for both Oregon and Washington.
↵§ Data unavailable for 4 participants in 2001.
↵‖ Data available for 91 of the 94 participants who died in 2011, 67 of the 72 who died in 2010, and 44 of the 47 who died in 2009.
↵¶ Data are reported for 2001–2011.
↵# Of those participants who ingested the medication and died, data are available for 70 in 2011, 51 in 2010, and 36 in 2009.
↵** A procedure revision in Oregon, adopted mid-year 2010, accepts information only when a physician or other health care provider is present at time of death; thus, resulting in a larger number of unknowns beginning in 2010.
↵†† Noted for 2001–2010.