Lessons from Hospice Care Legislation Reform in Taiwan Region
After nearly 30 years of practice,Taiwan region has developed relatively mature hospice care legislation.To address the application challenges of the pre-reform"Hospice and Palliative Care Act",the"Law of Patient Autonomy Rights",implemented in 2019,expanded the scope of palliative care,clarified the basis for determining patients'latest medical wishes,and established liability exemptions for healthcare providers executing palliative care decisions.This law empowers non-terminal patients under certain clinical conditions to make advance palliative care decisions.From the perspective of implementation,the reformed palliative care legislation in Taiwan region has shown strength in safeguarding patients'end-of-life rights and enhancing doctor-patient relationships.However,issues of feasibility persist.Drawing on the successes and challenges of Taiwan region's institutional practice,the Chinese mainland should advance palliative care legislation within the framework of patient rights protection law.The legislative approach should focus on supporting decision-making to promote the medical autonomy of terminal patients.Moreover,mainland legislation should primarily limit the applicability of palliative care to terminal patients,acknowledge patients'rights to refuse life-sustaining treatment,respect the medical professionals'autonomy in recognizing and executing palliative care wishes,and improve alternative decision-making rules in conjunction with supervisory legal systems.
hospice care legislationrights and interests towards the end of liferights of refusing life-sustaining medical measurespatient autonomy rightsadvance medical directives
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