Observations on the first year of Oregon's Death with Dignity Act

Using data from the files of Compassion in Dying, we describe 34 individual s who approached Compassion wanting to use the Death with Dignity Act and w ho died during the first year of the Act's implementation. Of these 34, 10 died using medication prescribed under the Act. Using first-hand data from the dying individuals, their families, and their health care teams, we prov ide comparisons between predicted outcomes and actual experiences, discuss important elements of the physician-patient relationship, and describe seve ral averted suicides and homicides. We also review changes in end-of-life c are in Oregon and provide recommendations about issues in need of further r esearch.