Comparison of official reporting on assisted suicide and euthanasia across jurisdictions
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Official data reports from countries where assisted suicide and euthanasia is legal are an important resource for discerning participation rates, patient safety and transparency in the way that assisted dying is legal. We aimed to identify what information is published in official data reports on assisted suicide and euthanasia across jurisdictions. METHODS: We searched for official data reports from every jurisdiction where assisted suicide or euthanasia is legal. Searches were conducted on these countries' official health authority websites as well as on mainstream search engines. The data measures included within each report were described in four categories: participation data, patient characteristics, clinician characteristics, and drugs and dying process. RESULTS: We found that 16 jurisdictions where assisted suicide or euthanasia is currently legal regularly publish data reports regarding its practice. The information included within these official reports varies greatly, with few measures published across all or most jurisdictions. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in the kinds of information published within official reports on assisted suicide and euthanasia makes comparing the practice of assisted suicide and euthanasia across jurisdictions challenging. Many jurisdictions fail to report data measures, which could be valuable to the understanding of assisted suicide and euthanasia practices within that country. Improving data reporting across jurisdictions where assisted suicide and euthanasia is legal, for example, through establishing minimum requirements for data collection and reporting, is an important step towards ensuring patient safety and the transparent practice of assisted suicide and euthanasia.
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Only two jurisdictions identify the number of patients referred for psychiatric evaluation, and none provide information about psychiatric diagnoses at the time of patients' requests.
“Only two jurisdictions identify the number of patients referred for psychiatric evaluation, and none provide information about psychiatric diagnoses at the time of patients’ requests (73).”
From Assisted death in eating disorders: a systematic review of cases and clinical rationales (2024) · cites this paper as [73]
Out of 27 jurisdictions where assisted dying is legal, a recent study found only 16 regularly published reports, and most only provide limited demographic data.
“Out of 27 jurisdictions where assisted dying is legal, a recent study found only 16 regularly published reports, and most only provide limited demographic data (73).”
From Assisted death in eating disorders: a systematic review of cases and clinical rationales (2024) · cites this paper as [73]
While reporting is mandatory in all jurisdictions, publicly available reports rarely include detailed information (e.g. psychiatric diagnoses) about the characteristics of patients who underwent assisted death.
“While reporting is mandatory in all jurisdictions, publicly available reports rarely include detailed information (e.g. psychiatric diagnoses) about the characteristics of patients who underwent assisted death (73).”
From Assisted death in eating disorders: a systematic review of cases and clinical rationales (2024) · cites this paper as [73]
It is not possible to determine how many patients with EDs have undergone assisted death internationally because data for the vast majority of assisted death cases are not available for public inspection.
“It is therefore not possible to determine how many patients with EDs have undergone assisted death internationally because data for the vast majority of assisted death cases are not available for public inspection (73).”
From Assisted death in eating disorders: a systematic review of cases and clinical rationales (2024) · cites this paper as [73]
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Assisted death in eating disorders: a systematic review of cases and clinical rationales
Roff, C., & Cook-Cottone, C. (2024) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1431771 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
- Authors
- Worthington, A., Regnard, C., Sleeman, K. E., & Finlay, I.
- Affiliations
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Department of Palliative Medicine, St. Oswald’s Hospice, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
- King's College London (GB)
- Cardiff University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Worthington, Ana
- Venue
- BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2022-12-30
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- e1
- Pages
- e1302-e1308
- ISSN
- 2045-435X (ISSN-L)
- 2045-4368
- OpenAlex
- W4313308201
- Cited by
- 10
- References
- 15
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3
- FWCI
- 1.32
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative and Oncologic Care
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Ethics and bioethics in healthcare
- Keywords
- assisted suicide, euthanasia, assisted dying, jurisdictional comparison, data collection standards, patient safety, clinician characteristics, patient characteristics
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