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Review
. 2014 Feb 18;2(1):9.
doi: 10.1186/2052-0492-2-9. eCollection 2014.

End-of-life considerations in the ICU in Japan: ethical and legal perspectives

Jun Makino  1 , Shigeki Fujitani  2 , Bridget Twohig  1 , Steven Krasnica  1 , John Oropello  1
Affiliations
Review

End-of-life considerations in the ICU in Japan: ethical and legal perspectives

Jun Makino et al. J Intensive Care. .

Abstract

In Japan, the continuation of critical care at the end of life is a common practice due to the threat of legal action against physicians that may choose a palliative care approach. This is beginning to change due to public debate related to a series of controversial incidents concerning end-of-life care over the last decade. In this review we contrast and compare the history and evolution of end-of-life care in Japan vs. the USA and other Asian countries. Efforts by the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine (JSICM) to establish better end-of-life care systems, as well as future directions in palliative care in Japan, are discussed.

Keywords: Advance directive; Asian countries; East; End-of-life; ICU; Japan; Living will; Palliative care; USA.

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