Abstract:
My research focuses on ethical issues in palliative care practice in mainland China, employing the Bristol Framework. Initially, I explore the theoretical backgrounds of the major Western framework, principlism, and Chinese Confucian bioethics. The second stage, framing, contextualises current situations in China using empirical evidence. It has become apparent that in Chinese hospitals, the family, particularly adult children, exerts significant control over patient decision-making, influencing information flow, treatment selection, and procedure approval. This phenomenon starkly contrasts with the norms proposed by the four-principle approach. Therefore, in phase III, preliminary reasoning is established to examine the family’s role in care provision. While a relational turn in the West has led to increased family influence in medical practice, benefiting patient self-actualisation, this theory inadequately explains the family’s decisive role in the Chinese context. A more localised theorisation is required to evaluate the triadic family-doctor-patient relationship in China.