Purpose: We reviewed the research literature on racial or ethnic diversity and end-of-life
decision making in order to identify key findings and provide recommendations for future …

Ethnic minorities currently compose approximately one third of the population of the United
States. The US model of health care, which values autonomy in medical decision making, is …

Sharon Kaufman, PhD, Professor of Medical Anthropology in the Institute for Health & Aging
at the University of California, San Francisco, conducted two years of on-site research …

Culture fundamentally shapes how individuals make meaning out of illness, suffering, and
dying. With increasing diversity in the United States, encounters between patients and …

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Studies using local samples suggest that racial minorities
anticipate a greater preference for life-sustaining treatment when faced with a terminal …

The ethical and legal implications of decisions to withhold and withdraw life support have
been widely debated. Making end-of-life decisions is never easy, and when the cultural …

Background Black patients tend to receive more life-prolonging care at the end of life (EOL)
than white patients. This study aimed to evaluate whether differences in patient-physician …

Spirituality is an important part of African‐American culture and is often cited as an
explanation for the more‐aggressive treatment preferences of some African Americans at …

Background Instructional advance directives are widely advocated as a means of preserving
patient self-determination at the end of life based on the assumption that they improve …

Advance directives promise patients a say in their future care but actually have had little
effect. Many experts blame problems with completion and implementation, but the advance …