National Academies Press: OpenBook
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×

Physician-
Assisted
Death

Scanning
the
Landscape

PROCEEDINGS OF A WORKSHOP

Rebecca A. English, Catharyn T. Liverman,
Caroline M. Cilio, and Joe Alper, Rapporteurs

Board on Health Sciences Policy

Health and Medicine Division

images

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, DC
www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001

This activity was supported by The Greenwall Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-47695-9
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-47695-X
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/25131

Additional copies of this publication are available for sale from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.

Copyright 2018 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-assisted death: Scanning the landscape: Proceedings of a workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.17226/25131.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×

Image

The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., is president.

The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president.

The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine.

Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×

Image

Consensus Study Reports published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine document the evidence-based consensus on the study’s statement of task by an authoring committee of experts. Reports typically include findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on information gathered by the committee and the committee’s deliberations. Each report has been subjected to a rigorous and independent peer-review process and it represents the position of the National Academies on the statement of task.

Proceedings published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine chronicle the presentations and discussions at a workshop, symposium, or other event convened by the National Academies. The statements and opinions contained in proceedings are those of the participants and are not endorsed by other participants, the planning committee, or the National Academies.

For information about other products and activities of the National Academies, please visit www.nationalacademies.org/about/whatwedo.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×

PLANNING COMMITTEE FOR A WORKSHOP ON PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED DEATH: SCANNING THE LANDSCAPE AND POTENTIAL APPROACHES1

JAMES CHILDRESS (Chair), University of Virginia

ANTHONY BACK, University of Washington

NANCY BERLINGER, The Hastings Center

LINDA GANZINI, Oregon Health & Science University

SCOTT HALPERN, University of Pennsylvania

BARBARA JONES, The University of Texas at Austin

JOANNE LYNN, Altarum Institute

DAVID MAGNUS, Stanford University

DAVID ORENTLICHER, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

RICHARD PAYNE, Duke University

JAMES TULSKY, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

NEIL WENGER, University of California, Los Angeles

Health and Medicine Division Staff

REBECCA A. ENGLISH, Program Officer

CATHARYN T. LIVERMAN, Senior Program Officer

ANNE CLAIBORNE, Senior Program Officer (until February 2018)

CAROLINE M. CILIO, Senior Program Assistant

DANIEL CESNALIS, Financial Associate

ANDREW M. POPE, Director, Board on Health Sciences Policy

Consultant

JOE ALPER, Consulting Writer

___________________

1 The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s planning committees are solely responsible for organizing the workshop, identifying topics, and choosing speakers. The responsibility for the published Proceedings of a Workshop rests with the rapporteurs and the institution.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×

This page intentionally left blank.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×

Reviewers

This Proceedings of a Workshop was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published proceedings as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.

We thank the following individuals for their review of this proceedings:

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the proceedings nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this proceedings was overseen by HUDA AKIL, University of Michigan, and DONALD STEINWACHS, Johns Hopkins University.

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×

They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this proceedings was carried out in accordance with standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the rapporteurs and the National Academies.

Page xiii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×

Acronyms and Abbreviations

ALS amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
DSM Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
EOLOA California’s End of Life Option Act
MRI magnetic resonance imaging
ODDA Oregon Death with Dignity Act
OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
POLST Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×

This page intentionally left blank.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×
Page R1
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×
Page R2
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×
Page R3
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×
Page R4
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×
Page R5
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×
Page R6
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×
Page R7
Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×
Page R8
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×
Page R9
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×
Page R10
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×
Page R11
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×
Page R12
Page xiii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×
Page R13
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25131.
×
Page R14
Next: 1 Introduction »
Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $55.00 Buy Ebook | $44.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

The question of whether and under what circumstances terminally ill patients should be able to access life-ending medications with the aid of a physician is receiving increasing attention as a matter of public opinion and of public policy. Ethicists, clinicians, patients, and their families debate whether physician-assisted death ought to be a legal option for patients. While public opinion is divided and public policy debates include moral, ethical, and policy considerations, a demand for physician-assisted death persists among some patients, and the inconsistent legal terrain leaves a number of questions and challenges for health care providers to navigate when presented with patients considering or requesting physician-assisted death.

To discuss what is known and not known empirically about the practice of physician-assisted death, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a 2-day workshop in Washington, DC, on February 12–13, 2018. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!