BROWN ATLAS OF DYING

Site of Death: 1989 - 2001

The 1998 Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care proclaimed that "geography is destiny..." That Atlas reported that dying in the hospital varied significantly by region of the United States and that the availability of services in a region (and not patient preferences) predicted whether persons died in a hospital. The Brown Atlas of Site of Death furthers the work of our colleagues at Dartmouth Center for Evaluative Clinical Sciences by examining where Americans with chronic illness died in 1989, 1997, and 2001 using Mortality Files, compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics. All results have been adjusted for age and gender (against the 1990 U.S. census population). As shown in the maps below, the number of Americans who died at home increased between 1989 and 1997, but has stayed relatively constant since then. As of 2001, nearly one in four persons died at home; however, this varied from state to state.

Accurate and timely descriptions about dying in America are key for the public policy debate about care of the dying in America. For example, dying at home in 2001 varied more than three fold between states; and research suggests that this variation is not based on patient preferences. The Brown Atlas of Dying aims to provide policy relevant data to inform the public and policy makers about the medical care of this vulnerable population.

PLEASE NOTE: We have recently updated the data and modified the format of this site to make it easier to use. Please see What's New for a full description of all our changes.

• For site of death information for 2001 in the United State of America, click here.



• To view 2001 Cancer Site of Death Maps, click here..
  

• For on overview of how the site of death has changed between 1989, 1997 and 2001 in the United States of America, click here.
  

• For changes in your state, click here.
  

• For more information on the Brown Site of Death Atlas, click here.
  

• For a list of related links, click here.