2019-09-06 MAID in DC Data

Importance: Legalization of physician assisted suicide (“PAS”) has given rise to concerns regarding the potential for PAS to impact patient-provider trust, particularly in historically marginalized populations.<br>Objective: This study aims to empirically assess whether PAS legalization undermines patient trust, with considerations of potential trust/demographic correlations in marginalized and minority patient populations.<br>Design: A sample of patients (N=538) from three locations at “.” (inpatient units, outpatient rooms, and ED) were recruited to participate in a RCT survey from June to August of 2019. The intervention involved randomly informing half of the patients that PAS had been legalized in Washington D.C. The survey included demographic and health-related questions and assessed patient trust in the medical professional using the Abbreviated Wake Forest Scale (“AWFS”).<br>Setting: The study took place within a not-for-profit, 912-bed academic and research center in Washington, D.C. Trained research assistants recruited a convenience sample of eligible respondents from three locations at “.”: inpatient units (general medicine units, general surgery, cardiac, and oncology units), outpatient treatment rooms in the Infusion Center, and the Emergency Department. Respondents recruited from the Emergency Department had been evaluated by an “.” physician and were awaiting admission. Recruitment time and location were varied by day of the week and time of day.<br>Participants: To be eligible to participate, respondents were required to be “.” patients who were 18 and over, English-speaking, and have decision-making capacity. Researchers extended 782 invitations; 538 surveys were returned; 9 were excluded from analysis because of failure to confirm lack of prior participation. In summary, 494 patients answered all five Trust Score questions, for an overall response rate of 67.6% and a Trust Score completion rate of 63.2%. 371 (70.1%) respondents identified as Black or African-American, 97 (18.3%) as white, and the remaining as non-white, non-Black or African American, or did not say. A majority(60.1%) identified as female, 39.1% as male, and .8% as nonbinary or other, nearly a third (32.9%) identified as having a physical or mental disability, and respondents were evenly stratified by age: 18 to 40 (32.1%), 41 to 60 (33.1%), and 61 and over (35.2%).