BACKGROUND: To improve pain management, the Veterans Health Administration launched
the “Pain as the 5th Vital Sign” initiative in 1999, requiring a pain intensity rating (0 to 10) …

Background Physician-assisted suicide was legalized in Oregon in October 1997. There are
data on patients who have received prescriptions for lethal medications and died after …

Background: Debates over legalisation of physician-assisted suicide (PAS) or euthanasia
often warn of a “slippery slope”, predicting abuse of people in vulnerable groups. To assess …

Background Voluntary refusal of food and fluids has been proposed as an alternative to
physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients who wish to hasten death. There are few …

… Analysis and interpretation of data: Ganzini, Goy, and Dobscha. Drafting of the manuscript:
Ganzini. Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Ganzini, Goy, …

ContextThe Oregon Death with Dignity Act, passed by ballot measure in 1994 and enacted
in October 1997, legalized physician-assisted suicide for competent, terminally ill Oregonians…

BACKGROUND Physician assisted death (PAD) was legalized through Oregon’s Death with
Dignity Act in 1994 and enacted in 1997. OBJECTIVE The objective of this paper was to …

In 1997, the Oregon Death with Dignity Act was enacted, allowing a physician to prescribe a
lethal dose of medication for a competent, terminally ill patient who requests one. In 2000, …

Background and Methods Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neuromuscular disease
that causes gradual paralysis, respiratory failure, and death, usually within three to five years …

Background: Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder in long-term dialysis patients
and is a risk factor for morbidity and mortality. An efficient and valid method of diagnosing …