Trends in Life Sustaining Treatment Decision System in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom

Abstract

As attention grows around the notion of a ‘good death’, some countries have put in place policies to support a dignified end of life. Instituted as part of advance care planning, initiatives for life-sustaining treatment decisions, though varying by country in their methods, criteria, and procedures, share the common goal of respecting patients’ preference of death over specific treatments and ensuring their self-determination through the appointment of a health care agent. Korea adopted a life-sustaining treatment decision system in February 2018, following the corresponding legislation enacted two years earlier. The practices from selected countries, as discussed here, offer a point of reference that Korea could look for guidance when seeking to enhance and ensure patients’ self-determination in end-of-life care.