End-of-life decision making in Taiwan: healthcare practice is rooted in local culture and laws that should be adjusted to patients' best interests.
The observed Taiwanese neonatal professionals' more conservative attitudes than their worldwide colleagues towards end-of-life (EOL) decision making may stem from cultural attitudes toward death in children and concerns about medicolegal liability. Healthcare practice is rooted in local culture and laws; however that should be adjusted to patients' best interests. Improving Taiwanese neonatal professionals' knowledge and competence in EOL care may minimize ethical dilemmas, allow appropriate EOL care decision making, avoid infants' suffering, and ease parents' bereavement grief.
School of Nursing, Chang Gung University, 259 Wen-Hwa 1st Road, Kwei-Shan, Tao-Yuan 333, Taiwan. sttang@mail.cgu.edu.tw
Siew Tzuh
ST
Tang
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001293:Attitude to Death; D003657:Decision Making / Q000941:ethics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000941:ethics*; D009359:Neonatology / Q000941:ethics*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000941:ethics*; D016414:Resuscitation Orders / Q000941:ethics*; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000941:ethics*