Hospice in Japan Hospice care in Japan Shizue Suzuki, RN, MS

Hospice care was introduced in Japan in the 1970s. There are currently an estimated 21 programs, which are primarily hospital-based. This paper provides an overview of the history, current state, and future trends of hospice care in Japan. Four programs are described, including staffing infor-mation, length of stay, and prognoses of patients. Hospice care in Japan is compared to hospice care in the United States and major differences are described. Lastly, the concept of “truth telling ” is explored within the context of the Japanese culture. The discussion is based on a review of the literature and a mailed survey completed by 16 Japanese hospice programsduring July 1992. The paper is in four sections: • An overview of Japan. • The history, current state, and futuretrends ofhospicecare in Japan. Shizue Suzuki, RN, MS, is a doctoral student