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A Review of the Current State of Hospice Care in China

  • Palliative Medicine (A Jatoi, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Oncology Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

This review was undertaken to analyze the main reasons behind the limited development of hospice care in China, and to put forward some suggestions.

Recent Findings

Although the Chinese government has increased its support for hospice care in recent years, however, owing to the lack of education around hospice care and the heavy influence of the traditional Chinese Confucian concept of “filial piety,” many individuals resist hospice care. Moreover, due to impaired patient rights, inadequate composition of hospice care teams, unbalanced geographical distribution, and limited service range, the development of hospice care in China is hindered.

Summary

Hospice care education and continued training should be popularized and the government should strengthen the legal structure of the medical system to protect the rights of patients, families, and medical staff to promoting social support for hospice care. Through graded diagnosis and referral systems in medical institutions to integrate medical resources and expand the range of hospice care services.

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Funding

This study was funded by the Guizhou Provincial Department of Education University Humanities and Social Sciences Research Planning Project “Investigation and Research on the Current Situation of Hospice Care in Guizhou Province” in 2019 [2019gh022].

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Humanistic Medicine, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China

    Meng Ling, Xuchun Wang & Yi Long

  2. Department of Hepatobiliary, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China

    Meng Ling

  3. Department of Nursing, Zunyi Medical and Pharmaceutical College, Zunyi, China

    Xuchun Wang

  4. Centre for Bioethics, Medical College, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China

    Yonghui Ma

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  1. Meng Ling
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  2. Xuchun Wang
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  4. Yi Long
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Correspondence to Yi Long.

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Ling, M., Wang, X., Ma, Y. et al. A Review of the Current State of Hospice Care in China. Curr Oncol Rep 22, 99 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-020-00959-y

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