Table 1.
Services and responsibilities of doctors, right to die organisations, and others in physician assisted suicide in Switzerland and Oregon (US)
| Role | Switzerland (Exit) | Oregon (Compassion and Choices) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor | Organisation | Others | Doctor | Organisation | Others | ||
| Discusses eligibility | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Provides basic medical information to patient (diagnosis, prognosis, treatment options) | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Refers to counselling or provides information on alternatives (eg hospice) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Assesses concomitant factors (eg depression) | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Assesses decisional capacity | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Assesses and confirms absence of coercion | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Provides information to doctors | Yes | Yes | Yes* | ||||
| Provides information about lethal drug | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes† | |||
| Prescribes lethal drug | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Dispenses lethal drug | Yes† | (Yes) | Yes† | ||||
| Delivers lethal drug for self administration | Yes | Yes‡ | (Yes)†‡ | ||||
| Offers support during administration of lethal drug | (Yes) | Yes | (Yes) | Yes | |||
| Manages complications | (Yes) | Yes | (Yes) | Yes | |||
| Reports the death | Yes§ | Yes | |||||
*Oregon Department of Human Services (www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/pas/index.shtml).
† Pharmacist.
‡ Family member or designated agent.
§To police.