MONDAY, June 27, 2005 (HealthDay News) -- Japanese medical resident doctors are more likely than their American counterparts to include family members in end-of-life discussions about patients, a new study finds.
The University of California, Los Angeles researchers believe these differences reflect cultural norms between Japan, where family ties are very important, and America, where the culture places more emphasis on the individual.
In their study, researchers sent surveys to 244 Japanese and 103 U.S. medical residents. They garnered a response rate of 74 percent of Japanese residents and 71 percent from the U.S. residents.
The survey found:
The survey also revealed that Japanese residents had more doubts about their approach than their U.S. counterparts.
The study results reflect the cultural differences between Japan and the United States, said lead researcher Baback B. Gabbay, who was a fourth-year UCLA medical student when the study was conducted. While family ties are stronger in Japan and individualism is more the norm in the United States, the higher amount of uncertainty expressed by Japanese residents may be the result of changing social norms in that country, he said.
"Traditionally, the family in Japan usually decides what to tell the patient. It's different than in the United States, where the individual autonomy to make decisions is perceived as relatively more important," Gabbay said.
More information:
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