Medical Decision Making and the Family: An Examination of Controversies

Author(s):  
M. Wang ◽  
P.-C. Lo ◽  
R. Fan
Author(s):  
Hanhui XU

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.儒家家庭本位思想對於中國傳統社會有著極其深刻的影響,而這種影響直到今天仍然發揮著巨大的作用,並由此形成了中國特有的社會結構和家庭觀念。在中國家庭中,家庭成員之間的關係更加密切,遇到重大事情,往往會由家庭成員共同做出決定。由於這種特殊的文化氛圍,在臨床決定的時候,應該用家庭共同決定代替個人自主決定,這種模式既能保障個人權利,維護個人利益,同時也是尊重家庭決定,營造和諧的家庭關係。Family involvement in medical decision making is a common practice in China due to the influence of Confucianism, which emphasizes the family as an organic unit. Instead of speaking of the individual’s right to choose and make a decision, the Confucian model for “informed consent” calls for “family co-decision making” or “co-determination.” The essay argues that China has long-standing moral traditions such as Confucianism, with its inherent ethical views toward family values that are still pertinent to a person’s daily life in general and bio-medical issues in particular.The author points out that those who acknowledge the role of the family in medical decision making feel much more satisfied. Sometimes both medical and non-medical burdens related to family roles and relationships are taken into consideration, but a patient who has good family relationships would rather family members be actively involved in the decision making. In addition, as young people are becoming increasingly individualistic under the influence of Western culture, family medical co-decision making can promote the Confucian values of family, family responsibility, and the well-being of individuals.DOWNLOAD HISTORY | This article has been downloaded 1791 times in Digital Commons before migrating into this platform.


Author(s):  
Mingxu WANG ◽  
Le MA ◽  
Hui YUEN

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract in English only.H. Tristram Engelhardt indicates that the ontological or metaphysical account of the family is superior to the libertarian-liberal account of the family with respect to significant issues in bioethics. By appealing to the development of the concept of informed consent and relevant medical laws and institutions, illustrated by examples from China, this essay supports Engelhardt’s view and emphasizes the cultural and ethical importance of the family functioning as a whole in the process of proper medical decision making and the protection of the fundamental interest of the patient.DOWNLOAD HISTORY | This article has been downloaded 94 times in Digital Commons before migrating into this platform.


PLoS Medicine ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. e129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fawad Aslam ◽  
Omar Aftab ◽  
Naveed Z Janjua

2006 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 952-959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christof Schäfer ◽  
Kurt Putnik ◽  
Barbara Dietl ◽  
Peter Leiberich ◽  
Thomas H. Loew ◽  
...  

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