Japanese Physicians' Views on Withholding Life-Sustaining Treatment
Author Information
Author(s): Bito Seiji, Asai Atsushi
Primary Institution: National Hospital Organization Tokyo Medical Center
Hypothesis
How do Japanese physicians decide on withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment for end-of-life patients?
Conclusion
Japanese physicians generally prefer to withhold life-sustaining treatments like respirators rather than withdraw less invasive treatments like tube feeding.
Supporting Evidence
- 55% of physicians believe tube feeding should be initiated.
- Only 18% think a respirator should be attached in severe pneumonia cases.
- Half of the respondents view tube feeding as a life-sustaining treatment.
Takeaway
Doctors in Japan often think it's better to keep patients on treatments like feeding tubes, but they hesitate to use machines like respirators.
Methodology
A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted with Japanese physicians regarding their attitudes and behaviors in three clinical scenarios.
Potential Biases
The voluntary nature of the survey may have attracted physicians with a particular interest in ethical issues, leading to selection bias.
Limitations
The sample may not represent all Japanese physicians, as it primarily included those interested in end-of-life care.
Participant Demographics
{"gender_distribution":{"female":15,"male":85},"age_distribution":{"39 years or younger":41,"40-49 years":42,"50 years or older":15},"fields_of_practice":{"general_internal_medicine":44,"specialty_internal_medicine":21,"family_practice":11,"surgery_related":7,"emergency_medicine":9,"pediatrics":2}}
Statistical Information
P-Value
<0.001
Confidence Interval
95% CI, 2.5–16.3
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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