PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Uma Nath
AU  - Claud Regnard
AU  - Mark Lee
AU  - Kiran Alexander Lloyd
AU  - Louise Wiblin
TI  - Physician-assisted suicide and physician-assisted euthanasia: evidence from abroad and implications for UK neurologists
AID  - 10.1136/practneurol-2020-002811
DP  - 2021 Jun 01
TA  - Practical Neurology
PG  - 205--211
VI  - 21
IP  - 3
4099  - http://pn.bmj.com/content/21/3/205.short
4100  - http://pn.bmj.com/content/21/3/205.full
SO  - Pract Neurol2021 Jun 01; 21
AB  - In this article, we consider the arguments for and against physician-assisted suicide (AS) and physician-assisted euthanasia (Eu). We assess the evidence around law and practice in three jurisdictions where one or both are legal, with emphasis on data from Oregon. We compare the eligibility criteria in these different regions and review the range of approved disorders. Cancer is the most common cause for which requests are granted, with neurodegenerative diseases, mostly motor neurone disease, ranking second. We review the issues that may drive requests for a physician-assisted death, such as concerns around loss of autonomy and the possible role of depression. We also review the effectiveness and tolerability of some of the life-ending medications used. We highlight significant variation in regulatory oversight across the different models. A large amount of data are missing or unavailable. We explore physician-AS and physician-assisted Eu within the wider context of end-of-life practice.