Healthcare Proxy Preferences in Taiwan and the US
Author Information
Author(s): Chen Duan-Rung, Tseng Winston
Primary Institution: National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan; University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States
Hypothesis
This research compares healthcare proxy preferences and expectations in Taiwan and the United States, highlighting cultural impacts on end-of-life care planning.
Conclusion
The study reveals significant cultural divergences between the US and Taiwan in choosing end-of-life decision-makers, reflecting deeper values and trust in the family.
Supporting Evidence
- A higher percentage of Taiwanese (61.8%) were willing to have family members as proxies compared to Americans (48.2%).
- More American respondents (47.2%) expressed unwillingness to have family members make end-of-life decisions for them than Taiwanese respondents (24.2%).
- Taiwanese respondents significantly favored letting healthcare proxies handle all medical decisions, including discontinuing life support.
Takeaway
People in Taiwan and the US have different ideas about who should make healthcare decisions for them when they are very sick, showing how culture affects these choices.
Methodology
The study used Survey Cake for online responses, employing snowball sampling, comparing 345 Taiwanese and 339 Californian respondents matched by gender and age.
Participant Demographics
A majority (75.5%) of respondents were under 30, with 89.7% of Americans having higher education compared to 75.2% in Taiwan.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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